Marching Orders
by Mors101
Summary: The world has descended into a war between metahumans and nations. How will this conflict of interest affect our heroes? Which side will they choose, will they choose a side? From whom will they get their marching orders?
1. Prologue

I do not own Teen Titans, Justice League and any of the characters therein or related, Batman and any characters therein related, and any or anything else that can be possibly construed to be something that someone else owns. All I own is the plot.

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Prologue: World War III

The world is like a pot of water simmering on a stove—it always has the potential to boil over. In the fall of 2015, it did. Civil unrest in Taiwan prompted the Chinese to invade the tiny island nation. In response, the US 7th fleet was dispatched to secure the straits. What should have been a quick naval engagement cascaded. The North Koreans, pressured by Bejing and encouraged by an overstretched US military, invaded South Korea. At the same time, the Mideast exploded, with Iran launching missiles at Israel which were intercepted by a joint, newly-created US-Israeli missile defense system. Similarly, the US armed and encouraged independence groups in Tibet. Russia, in the final gasp of a dying empire trying to capitalize on the distraction of its two biggest rivals, invaded Manchuria and the Caucasus, with troops massed on the border of the EU, which had, in turned, hastily erected a defense line on its Eastern border. Eventually, more established lines were drawn, as nations allied themselves. The Circumference alliance of the US, Israel, South Korea, Taiwan, and Iraq ringed the Interior pact of communist China, North Korea, and Iran. Finally, the new Russian empire, composed of chunks of northern China and the Caucasus formed a third party. India remained neutral, but provided tacit support to the Circumference alliance. In response, Pakistan gave tacit support to the Interior pact. Sixty years after the end of the last world war, another one was being waged.

Once battle lines were firmly established after the first year of confusion, the Chinese controlled a rebellious Taiwan and the North Koreans had pushed the South Koreans back to what became known as the Seoul perimeter—a defense line centered on the capital of Seoul. Iran's first strike against Israel was a failure, and a coalition of forces of American, Iraqi, and Israeli troops had pushed far into Iran. American commandos were engaged in hostile action in Tibet, organizing the resistance forces. In addition, the Chinese halted Russian advances into Manchuria and the US had dispatched the 1st fleet to harass and check Russian advance into the Black Sea.

Previous wars had been fought, with metahumans aligning themselves with the fighting powers. The Metahuman Soldier Restriction Treaty, or MSRT, signed at the end of the Cold War, explicitly prohibited the use of metahumans in action who were impervious to conventional weaponry, rapidly transport troops behind enemy lines in a manner unknown to modern science, or could, themselves, be considered a WMD. The potential for destruction that such mutants could cause—and did cause—scared each nation into following the treaty. For every powerful metahuman that could be brought into the battlefield, another one could be found. World War III was, therefore, a purely conventional war. However, this did not mean that metahumans were not interested in the goings on of the war. The scope of the conflict caught the attention of the Justice League. The question of participation divided the core members into two camps. The Hawks, led appropriately enough by Hawkgirl joined by Wonder Woman, advocated for intervention. In response, the Doves, led by the Flash and the Green Lantern, and frequently joined by Batman, argued against intervention. Restricted by the MSRT, the rest of the metahumans in the League joined one side or the other, some pledging their allegiance to the non-state Justice League, others arguing that the function of the League did not include armed intervention into nation-state conflicts. In the first year of the war, Superman and the Martian Manhunter kept out of the conflict, insinuating, however, that if things got out of hand, the League would intervene.

After a year of fighting, the belligerents had come to a stalemate. In order to break the stalemate, China and American put pressure on Pakistan and India, respectively, to join the fight. Nationalist parties in both states agitated for war. The tipping point was reached on November of 2016. Terrorists smuggled a nuclear warhead into Mumbai, detonating the weapon annihilating half the city and 9,000,000 people. In response, the nationalist took over the government and launched a warhead against Karachi, destroying the city and 10,000,000 Pakistanis. Within minutes of the destruction of Karachi, Pakistan launched a full out invasion of Kashmir and a nuclear strike against Kolcatta and Delhi. Because the US had not fully installed a missile defense system in the region, both cities were hit, leading to another 8,000,000 casualties and a nuclear arms strike, with India annihilating Islamabad and Lahore, killing 5,500,000 Pakistanis. Within a day, six cities were destroyed and 32,500,000 people dead. However, the opening of the Kashmir front, and the chaos from the nuclear strikes, was enough to revitalize the war. The Russians, hoping to restart their offensive, attacked Chinese troops along Manchuria with Sarin gas and followed up with a counterattack. The Chinese then dropped a hydrogen bomb on Moscow, annihilating the city and the Russian government. The Russia dissolved, with a multitude of parties seeking power, gaining access to the Russian nuclear stockpile. The US, South Koreans, and Japanese, meanwhile, managed to push the North Koreans back from the Seoul perimeter and had, within a week, reached the gates of Pyongyang. Unwilling to let the city be taken, Kim Jong Il detonated a nuclear warhead, destroying the city and advancing Circumference forces.

By the beginning of 2017, large tracts of India, Pakistan, Russia, and North Korea lay in waste. The battle lines became very fluid, as advancing armies would flow around one another. By the summer, the Chinese had managed to invade Alaska through Irkutsk, using it as a launching pad for cruise missile strikes on the continental US, capitalizing on the chaos in Russia, which, by this time, had devolved into a fanatical, nationalist core centered on the remains of Moscow in the West, and various factions in Siberia. The US, in turn, stepped up bombardment of Chinese cities, taking Hong Kong and laying siege to Shanghai while supporting an EU push against the hostile Russian extremists. While, at the same time, Iranian terrorists attacks on Israel and Iraq increased in frequency and destruction and the Russian nationalists were threatening to nuke all opposing forces.

The increasing threat of nuclear war and the potential for a very long, protracted conflict, finally convinced Superman that the Justice League needed to step in. Superman declared an ultimatum—either all powers sit down and discuss peace terms or the Justice League would intervene militarily. To say that such a declaration shocked the world powers was an understatement. Each leader viewed such a threat as a direct attack against the sovereignty of their own nation; the Justice League did not have the jurisdiction to make such a move. Hostilities continued. When the Russian extremists launched a nuclear warhead at Berlin did Superman follow up on his threat. The Watchtower's canon destroyed the Russian silos stationed outside of St. Petersburg while Superman and Hawkgirl, leading a cohort of other League affiliates flew down—landing in western Virginia to take the White House and force the President to stop the war. Wonder Woman and the Green Latern led a similar effort against Beijing. Both the Flash and Batman still dissented, eventually leaving the Watchtower to return to their respective cities. Taken by surprise, both Washington and Bejing fell to the League, as its members appeared in other hot zones, capturing and neutralizing other military leaders. However, both the Chinese and Americans had managed to evacuate most of their critical military personal. The two sides met, and agreed that such an act by non-state actors must be met.

Eventually, the lack of numbers on the part of the League began to tell. The heavy American and Chinese counterattacks forced them to retreat, but only after making the two forces suffer heavy losses. The willingness of the nations to engage the League infuriated its members. Who were these people, who had fought each other with such vigor previously, to ally together to fight the League? Superman, the previous Dove, now harbored a belief that the only way to end all such wars and nuclear exchanges was if the Justice League controlled the world. To do this, the League sought allies among the nations and separate metahumans. With promises of League protection, training, and technology, many of the previously non-aligned nations in Africa joined the Justice League. In addition, many metahuman based around cities in the world began to align themselves, they were either neutral, overseers if they supported the League, or nationalists. On the other side stood the former belligerents: the US, China, India, the EU, Japan, Israel, and South Korea. For political reasons, Iran and Pakistan joined the Justice League while the Russians remained their own allies. Multiple missile launches against he Watchtower brought it down, forcing the Justice League to make its headquarters in central Africa. The national alliance eventually took the war to Africa, seeking to remove the League's allies and wear them down through attrition. However, they were tired and worn out after a year and a half of bitter fighting, and had to fight on multiple fronts: Africa and at home against the overseers.

Thus began the next phase of World War III—the metahuman war.

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A/N: I know, long intro that is short on the main characters. I apologize, but this background is necessary, and actually kinda fun to write. Hopefully, it isn't too dry. Anyway, I think I'm going to put Dark Legacy on hold for now (for those of you who have read it, or care). I may go back to it, but we'll see. As for this one, it is something that has been buzzing around in my head for awhile. Hopefully it comes together like I think. Expect the Titans to appear in the next chapter, dealing with war.

Hope you enjoyed the story, reviews and criticisms are, of course, appreciated and desired.

Mors101


	2. Neutrality

Still don't own anything.

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Chapter 1: Neutrality

The national phase of World War III had been hard on the Teen Titans, or "A Little Older than Teen" Titans as Beast Boy said to the eye rolling of all involved. But they acknowledged that he had a point and changed their name to the Titans. Due to the MSRT, almost all of the team was ineligible for service, except for Robin. Because of his obvious leadership skills, the 19 year old was put on the fast track for an officer's rank following a year in officer training school. However, before he could be sent to the front, the metahumans attacked. Because of his connections to the superhero community, and thus, the Justice League, Robin was sent home, to the obvious relief of his girlfriend, Starfire, who, while proud that her beau was to fight with honor, was worried about his potential death. Robin, of course, had no qualms about returning. He was a Titan, and belonged with them, and Starfire.

However, his return heralded more problems, the most pressing of which was what side the Titans would choose. To whit, Robin called his old mentor, stationed in Gotham.

"Bruce."

"Dick," such pleasantries was common for the two. To say that they were cut from the same mold was a ridiculous understatement.

"I see you haven't joined your Justice League comrades."

"I didn't take this job to rule the world, but to protect it. They may be metahumans, but they're still humans, and humans have a bad track record at fixing the earth." Robin just grunted in response. "However, it is hard to fight against them."

Robin gave his old boss a sly smile, "Especially Dianna, right?" he asked, receiving a trademark Bat glare in response.

"And how is your princess?" countered Batman.

"Much better now that I'm back," Robin said, gloating a bit and refusing to take the bait. However, he turned serious a second later, "I feel like we should be neutral as well. We have ties to the League, Star really liked Wonder Woman, if I remember. Anyway, the old ties of superhero solidarity are probably very strong, at least among Star and Beast Boy, and I've worked with Supergirl before, and through you, I've gotten to know Dianna pretty well."

"And the other two?"

"Well, Cyborg may become a nationalist, and it is hard to tell with Raven. She'll more than likely go with the majority."

"It sounds like you've thought this out, Dick, why do you need me?" asked Batman.

"You say your neutral, but I've seen what Wayne industries is doing. Government contracts are up, and mass production of some advanced weaponry, advanced anti-meta weaponry, is coming down the line. Bruce, exactly how neutral are you?"

Batman sighed. To an untrained eye, it was nothing but an exhalation, but Robin recognized it, it to the Batman was an SOS was to a sinking ship. The man didn't like the current situation. "Dick, you learn that there really is no such thing as neutrality for us. We want to stay out of things, but whatever happens, we can't. I have a duty, as Batman, to protect Gotham and to the ideal of justice that people like Superman advocate. It is what differentiates me from a killing vigilante. It is what allows me to do what I do with a clean conscience. The Batman is a cosmic identity, and has a cosmic duty. But, as Bruce Wayne, I have a duty to my family, city, and country. Batman may proclaim his neutrality without violating his duty, but Bruce Wayne cannot."

Robin nodded. "However," Batman continued, "I don't think that such a thing will affect you, or your team. You may actually pull out being neutral."

"And the ramification of staying neutral?" asked Robin.

Batman shrugged, "I can't say. The League probably views me as the Flash as traitors, and will deal with us in kind. I don't know what will happen with the neutrals. As of now, the nations are probably glad we aren't fighting them."

"That's what I thought," said Robin, "choosing a side has the potential for retaliation that we don't want."

Batman nodded, "Neutrality, at least for the time being, is probably a good idea. There is no telling who will win."

"Superman..." began Robin.

"Is being contained in Africa by a ring of ships equipped with Kryptonian ore. They basically have created a force field around the continent."

"Courtesy of Wayne Industries?" Batman nodded in response.

"OK, well, I'm going to talk to the team about this," Robin said.

"Very well, good luck Dick."

"Same to you Bruce."

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Raven sighed. It was quiet in the common room, and she knew she had to enjoy it because it wouldn't be much longer. Beast Boy had climbed up to the ceiling as a spider monkey, holding a water balloon filled with oil. He was going to bomb Cyborg for rigging his game controller so that the directional commands were flipped. When Raven pointed out that no one would appreciate oil stains on the carpet, he pointed out that it has seen much worse—a Tamaranean pudding monster, for example. Raven could've argued, but she didn't. Besides, this could be amusing. Cyborg always blew such things out of proportion, and a mistake on Beast Boy's part could lead to some humorous confrontations, though she hoped he wouldn't get Starfire. Either way, she won. So, she now sat waiting for Beast Boy to drop his balloon, way out of the way of the potential splash zone.

Raven heard the heavy footsteps of Cyborg coming down the hall, the swish of the door, and then nothing. At first she was disappointed, didn't Beast Boy see him? He had to, if she had heard him, Beast Boy heard him ages ago.

SPLASH! "BEAST BOY! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU TOFU-MUNCHING, GRASS STAINED, SHIT HEAD!"

Raven smiled a bit. Though she would never tell the two, she thought their antics, when taken in small doses, were quite funny. Also, Beast Boy had gotten better with his timing. She knew he knew she was waiting for it to happen, and built the suspense. A sign, perhaps, of his maturing into adulthood—he was becoming a better showman.

"Cyborg, quit trying to climb up the wall, rinse off, and come back here, I have an announcement," Raven heard the voice of their leader from behind her.

"Boyfriend Robin," asked Starfire, "why is friend Cyborg covered in a black film?"

"Because Star," began the voice of their patient leader, "Beast Boy dropped it on him and will now clean up the carpet."

"Righty-o, Rob!" the cheerful voice of the prankster sounded from behind Raven. Soon, she heard the quiet hum of the carpet cleaner and the low talking of Starfire and Robin, who had been inseparable ever since Robin had gotten back from OTS. It wasn't quiet, but it was normal.

The door opened again, and there was a grunt followed by another grunt as Cyborg began to wrestle Beast Boy. Raven imperceptibly shook her head, those two were just like brothers, always at each other.

"Cut it out, you two, and sit down. Raven, if you could come here also," Robin intoned from the coach, sitting with his arm around Starfire. Shifting her face into its normal emotionless state, Raven got up and moved to the common area, followed by Cyborg who was holding a struggling Beast Boy in a head lock.

"Man, you know where some of that stuff goes? Everywhere! Not cool!" Cyborg chastised Beast Boy.

"Dude, then you shouldn't mess with my controller!" protested Beast Boy.

"Shut up, you two!" Robin said through clenched teeth. Starfire giggled, the three reminded her of the earth show, Three Stooges. It was quite amusing.

"Titans, as you know, the nations of the world are currently at war with the Justice League and its affiliates. I personally think that we should remain neutral on this issue. All of us have contact with the belligerents, and I don't think that any of use want to have to fight them, whether they be former superheroes or citizens of this city. However, I am willing to here what you all have to say on this."

Starfire spoke up first, "While I understand what the League of Justice is doing, for the actions of the humans during the last year were absolutely horrid, as a sovereign, I can sympathize with the governments of earth. I think I would feel as them if Tamaran would suffer a similar fate. At the same time, I cannot, in all good conscience, support people who use these, ummm, nudes?"

"Nukes, Star," Robin gently corrected. She spoke like a true princess.

Starfire nodded, "Yes, nukes. Anyway, I cannot support them nor the Justice League. I believe we should be neutral."

Robin's smile widened. He knew she would support neutrality. To nobody's surprise, Cyborg spoke up next.

"Well, I can't say that I'm pro-League right now. After all, I grew up in this area, and I probably am more sympathetic to the nations than to a bunch of Leaguers. When I got my body, my father told me to never let the fact that, for all intents and purposes, I was more powerful than anyone else allow me to dictate their life. People are free to choose for themselves, or at least should be. I'm inclined to fight for the nations, but you guys are my family. If you think we should stay neutral, I'll stay neutral. However, if any of these meta's or overseers comes into this city, I'll lay down a whooping that they won't likely forget." Robin nodded. It wasn't strict neutrality, but it was close. After all, even neutral, they couldn't let war touch the city.

"I have nothing to add," Raven said from the side, "I was born to doom the world, but we stopped that. No matter what form the world takes, all that matters to me is that it exists," and those I care about exist in it, she added in her head, "I, like Cyborg, will not tolerate an attack upon the city. But, that is the extent to which I am willing to commit myself."

Robin was very pleased. He believed that the potentials split would come from Cyborg and maybe Starfire, however, this was not to be the case. He turned, along with the rest of the Titans, to look at Beast Boy, expecting a shrug, a quick affirmation, and a demand to return to pranking and playing video games. What he saw, what they all saw, was a surprise. Beast Boy was looking at his hands, which were clasped in front of him, a frown upon his face. For a minute, everything was silent. Beast Boy looked up, and saw everyone looking at him. Quickly smiling, he turned and said, "Sure, whatever," got up and headed out.

Robin was bemused for a moment, as he was sure the rest of the team was. But he shrugged it off, Beast Boy could be a bit, well, odd. Turning and facing the rest of the members, he said, "Well, it is decided then, the Titans are neutral and will not tolerate violent action in the city, agree?" Everyone nodded and he smiled. "Very well then, I'll inform the mayor and the government. This should at least be satisfactory news for them." With that, the team dispersed. Cyborg turned on the TV, planning on getting a little gaming in, Robin went to return to his room, closely followed by Starfire. And Raven sat still, thinking about what Beast Boy did. It wasn't like him, first to be deep in thought during a meeting—or any other time, the cynical part of her mind said—nor was it like him to just up and leave in the middle of a meeting. No matter how boring, Beast Boy stuck around to the end. She supposed it was a leftover from his days on the Doom Patrol, she couldn't really picture Mento being too happy about people leaving meetings early. It was almost dinner time, and she knew that Beast Boy would return to eat. After dinner, she resolved to catch him and ask him about his peculiar actions during the meeting.

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Thanks to Linzerj loves Warriors and AkumaKami64 for the reviews. I hope that the story satisfies your expectations. Anyway, school is winding down, which means work is pilling on, so updates may be a bit sparse in the next few weeks. I'll do what I can.

To those who are just joining the story, I hope you like it. As usual, reviews and criticisms are much appreciated.

Mors101


	3. Obligations

Obligations

Beast Boy stood in his room, his hand on his phone. That call changes a lot, he thought. He thought back to the discussion he had with Raven two weeks previously, when the team decided on a policy of neutrality.

"_Beast Boy, are you all right?"_

"_Huh," Beast Boy responded as he watched the violet eyes roll. He inwardly chuckled, Raven's exasperated face was oddly amusing to him._

"_I said, you've seen a bit out of it since the meeting, what's the big deal, it isn't like you." Raven's face said that she had been thinking about this a lot. "And I'm not the only one who has noticed. Cyborg was looking at you oddly during dinner, if he noticed, then it's bad."_

"_It's nothing Rae," Beast Boy said, using his nickname for her in order to get her goat a little more._

"_It is something, and it is Raven!"_

"_It's a bird? Where, what?"_

_Raven thought about slapping him, but then reconsidered. Beast Boy was trying way too hard to avoid her questioning. That little retort was just too well placed to annoy her. She was onto him._

"_Does it have to do with the war? Do you think we should join the League side or something?"_

"_What? Why?" asked Beast Boy, he was now confused. Why did anyone think he was an overseer?_

"_Well, you've mentioned multiple times your almost idol-worship of some of the Justice League."_

"_Oh, well, I mean, Wonder Woman is pretty hot," Beast Boy stuttered, rubbing the back of his head._

_Raven's eyes narrowed. He would go for the leotard wearing Amazon, she thought. "Yeah, but she can kick your ass," she shot back. Really, he deserved it for being a bit of a lecher. Ogling another girl, he should pick up some manners._

_Beast Boy chuckled nervously. The last thing he needed was a pissed off Raven. "So, why did you come here, Rae?"_

_Raven rolled her eyes. She was not going to win on that nickname. "I want to know why you've become so brooding over this whole war thing. Is it because you think we should join the fight?"_

"_No, not you guys, you guys could get hurt," Beast Boy was real nervous, and when he was nervous, he talked a lot, "I couldn't bear to see you guys hurt. Especially you Raven, and I couldn't push you guys into doing something so dangerous. Maybe I would go solo, but not you guys. So don't worry about that. I would never suggest something like that, it would be just wrong…"  
_

_Raven cuffed him on the head, though a little more gently than she normally would. She didn't know why he mentioned her specifically, but it made her feel a little less frustrated towards him. "Hehe, thanks," said Beast Boy, "I guess that I was rambling."_

_Ravens sighed, she needed him to calm down. She needed to calm down, did she really just here Beast Boy said that he was considering going to war on his own? That was ridiculous, some stupid notion he got in his head. He couldn't go to war, he'd get hurt, especially without her to rescue him. After all, who protected his back in all those battles? No one really had the patience to always watch him but her._

"_So, are you considering joining this fight?"_

"_Maybe, I don't know, I'd really hate to leave the team,"_

"_The League doesn't need any help, they've got Superman after all," Beast Boy gave her a strange look after that comment, his face hardening. Raven picked up on the subtle change, so he was being serious now._

"_I thought I said I wasn't a Leaguer," Beast Boy said quietly._

_Raven was shocked, not only was he considering going to war, but also joining the nations. This was dangerous, very few heroes were joining them, and those that did were treated mercilessly on the battlefield. She had a point, the League had Superman, and he was worth any number of men. It was only a matter of time before he broke out of Africa, and then there was going to be hell to pay._

"_That's insane Beast Boy," she said, "and insanely dangerous. Why would you ever do that?"_

_Beast Boy sighed. He didn't know why, but he had to tell someone, and Raven was probably the best choice. Ever since the Beast incident, Tokyo, Trigon, and the Brotherhood of Evil, he would trust her with anything. This was no exception._

"_It's hard to say," he sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and continued, "but I've never felt separate from people. I lived in Africa with King Tawaba, saw the world with the Doom Patrol, lived throughout the US, and finally came here. Every time, there was someone who took me in . It wasn't until I met you guys that 'taking in' meant isolating myself on a giant island away from normal types."_

"_What about Galtry, or the Doom Patrol headquarters?" Raven pointed out._

"_Yeah, there were bad eggs," Beast Boy replied, "but they were dealt with, you know? And the Doom Patrol, we went throughout the world. We dealt with people and nations. Mento said that we respect them. We were visitors, and we shouldn't assume we were better than them because we were helping them. Sure, he could be a hard-ass, but he always taught me to respect the nation and its criminal-law thingy."_

"_Criminal justice system," Raven automatically corrected._

"_Yeah, that," Beast Boy chuckled, "anyway, I don't like that the League doesn't respect that. And I don't like that they have taken the fight to Africa. I hope that they stay out of Upper __Lamumba, there are a lot of memories there..." Beast Boy's voice drifted off as he stared off into the distance._

_Raven sighed. She could barely understand him, she was a wanderer, one doomed to destroy an entire __dimension. To be frank, she never understood war. She just wanted it over with and the earth intact, she could deal with anything that came after that. Beast Boy, for some reason, wanted to protect the world as it was, or as near as possible. But still, he couldn't fight. He'd get eaten alive, perhaps literally. She had no idea who was fighting on the League's side._

"_Even so," she began, "these attachments, what about your attachments here? To the Teen Titans, to your friends, city? What about us?" In her mind, she added, "What about me?" However, she stopped herself from speaking it. She really had no idea why she added the phrase._

_Beast Boy turned to her and gave a wry smile, "That's what makes this so hard. I love you guys, I really do," his smiled cranked up a few hundred volts, and Raven almost smiled upon seeing how genuine he was being. "I really can't leave you, but I feel kinda like I have to. I don't know," Beast Boy shrugged in confusion._

"_It is easy," said Raven._

_Beast Boy started and then stared at Raven with puppy dog eyes, "Tell me, Rae, please?"_

_Raven gave a little half smile at Beast Boy, "Stay with us."_

_

* * *

_

The last two weeks had really been more of the same. The team stayed together, fighting crime—thought it seemed there was less of it, even the supervillains were joining the fray. Really, Beast Boy thought sadly, it was a shame he to get this phone call. He turned, left his room, and walked down the hall to Robin's. Knocking, he heard a grunt behind the door, allowing him entry. Walking in, he saw his leader seated at his desk, with Starfire lying in bed, talking with him.

"Robin, can I talk to you, privately," he added, giving a meaningful look towards Starfire.

Robin, with a perturbed look on his face, turned towards Starfire, pecked her on the cheek and escorted her out of the room, murmuring apologies. Beast Boy, for his part, did look upset that he was kicking Starfire out, as she glanced at him oddly. For some reason, he knew that his little visit towards Robin would soon reach the ears of Raven, Starfire's confidant on the team, besides Robin's.

"Well, this is unusual Beast Boy," Robin said, as he sat back down on the chair, gesturing Beast Boy to make himself comfortable. "What do you need?"

Beast Boy scuffed the carpet with his foot, "Well, Robin, Steve, I mean Mento, called," Robin nodded, encouraging Beast Boy to continue. "We talked awhile, sorted out some stuff. Anyway, he called to say that he was joining the fight, in fact, all the Doom Patrol is." Robin nodded again, he saw where this was going.

"Look, Beast Boy, I know that you have an attachment to them and all, but the Leaguers are quite powerful. I'm sure that..."

Beast Boy cut him off, "They joined the nationalists."

Robin stopped dead in his tracks. The Doom Patrol was fighting against the other heroes? This was quite a shocker. But that also meant...

"Wait, you're thinking of joining them, aren't you?" Beast Boy nodded. Robin sat back and pinched his nose. This was not how it was supposed to go. He had the team all lined up and neutral and out of the war. There was no way that Beast Boy could go and fight as a Titan, especially on the side of the nationalists.

"Look, Beast Boy, we need you here. You're an integral part of this team, hell, you're an integral part of this family. I don't want you to do this, and I'm sure that none of the others would either," Beast Boy cut Robin off again.

"I know Robin, trust me, I know," Beast Boy took a deep breath before continuing, "I just feel like I owe something to them, to the nations. I mean, they've done a lot for me. Really, what is the difference between letting a villain run the town and Superman? Maybe he'll do a better job, maybe not. This isn't really something I can articulate, but I feel it." Beast Boy sighed, he knew it sounded like a lame reason, but he just felt like if he didn't fight, he'd be letting down a lot of people: the Doom Patrol—his old family, King Tawaba and the people of Africa—his even older family, heck, even the people in the US who let him stay with them when he wandered around the country. Somehow, to him at least, it felt wrong to sit in Jump City and just let the League ran havoc across Africa and, eventually, the world.

"I don't mean to sound like what you guys are doing is wrong or anything," Beast Boy continued, "but I just don't feel like it is right personally. I kinda owe the Doom Patrol, and some other people across the world, and you guys don't. So, don't feel bad, I just wanted to give you a heads up."

Robin nodded, Beast Boy was actually quite stubborn when he wanted to be. Heck, his whole team could be quite stubborn when they wanted to be, and that meant he wasn't sure how the others were going to handle this. Not one of them would like Beast Boy leaving the team, some may even demand to go with him. This was not something Robin was looking forward to.

"You know, Beast Boy, that I can't let you do this as a Titan. I'm going to have to ask for your communicator before you leave." Beast Boy looked a little shocked at this. "But," Robin continued, trying to pacify his friend, "that doesn't mean there won't be a spot on the team for you when you come back." Beast Boy nodded, pacified. "Anyway, you'll tell everyone tonight." Beast Boy did start at this. He forgot that he was going to have to confront Raven about this. The least talk he had with her seemed to indicate she was not enamored with the idea of him going to war.

"So," Robin's voice shook him out of his reverie, "when do you ship out?"

"Oh," Beast Boy started, "I have to call Mento back and tell him I'm joining." Slapping his head, he ran out into the hall to the phone in his room. Robin's chuckle died on his lips, his friend was going to war.

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A/N

Thanks a lot for the reviews, to the Flying Frog, AkumiKami64, Linzerj, and Agent of the Divine One, I hope this helps clear up questions about Beast Boy's motivations. As you read, it isn't all about Africa, though that plays a part. To MathiasMatt and Downward Spiral 1, thanks for reviewing and I hope that you keep reading and responding. To Redtha, we'll see about the foreign Titans.

In the next few chapters, we get to see Beast Boy introduced to the military life. Expect homages (by the way of characters) to some of the great war games and films.

Finally, it is summer, so hopefully I'll update more, but I tend to get lazy during warm summer days.

Mors101


	4. Shipping Out

Shipping Out

To say that Beast Boy's announcement that he was joining the nationalist armies, quitting the Titans in the the process, did not go over well was an understatement. Cyborg and Starfire just sat on the coach, identical looks of shock on their faces.

"You're doing what?" asked Cyborg.

"Joining the nationalists," replied Beast Boy, a little softly, "I ship out in three days. That gives me just enough time to get my stuff together and everything sorted out."

"But you will fight, yes?" asked Starfire. Beast Boy nodded. "But that is not what we decided," she replied.

"I know Star, but this is something that I need to do, if that makes any sense," Beast Boy replied, "I feel like I owe these people who I'm fighting for."

Starfire nodded, she could understand the concept of a debt of honor. Cyborg, however, still did not quite get it.

"But, man, you're going to get attacked, by Superman!" he waved his arms in the air as he talked.

"I know that," Beast Boy responded indignantly, "and I do know what I'm getting myself into. I've actually thought this one through."

"No you don't," the quiet voice of Raven penetrated the conversation, "it's war, you've never been in a war. You can't know what you're getting into. You're leaving us Beast Boy, did you consider that? Did you?" Her voice actually rose above its normal pitch, and was reflecting some emotion. The coffee table in the living room was surrounded by a black aura. With a slight gasp, Raven turned and almost fled the common room.

"Rae..." Beast Boy started after her. He did not want to make her upset. "Hey, give her some time man," he felt Cyborg's hand on his shoulder, "you need to explain this to us, it's only fair." With one last glance towards the door. Beast Boy turned to the questioning of his friend. He would get to Raven later.

* * *

Raven sat on the roof, just looking off into the horizon, thinking. How could Beast Boy just up and leave them like that, and to go to war no less? Perhaps Starfire could understand it, maybe even Robin or Cyborg, but she sure couldn't. After all, he had a home here, a safe home, full of people who cared about him deeply. She had never expected to get attached to anyone on earth, especially since she was supposed to destroy them all, but she did. She cared about all of the Titans. However, Beast Boy was different than the others, she didn't know why, but she knew he was. Perhaps it was his innocence, or how he tried to include her, whatever it was, it was not right that the shapeshifter was going off to war, leaving her alone.

Perhaps that was the reason she was so upset, she thought to herself. She hated the idea of being alone after years of being surrounded by her friends, and to have someone she held so dear voluntarily leave her hurt especially. This was not supposed to happen, the team was supposed to stay together through thick and thin. No one was to go to war, and no one was to die, but Beast Boy was doing one and running a high risk of doing the other. He said that he was getting his stuff together and sorted out, or something like that. There was a permanency in that statement that Raven didn't like. It brought to mind sterile, impersonal rooms, hospital beds, and cookie cutter coffins.

It wasn't that Raven did not understand that each member of the team faced death daily, but they faced it with each other and they never planned for it. There was nothing like sorting out ones affairs in the Titans' life. Death would come suddenly, devastatingly, but somehow understood and accepted. That was how superheroes were to go. They were not to clean their rooms, write a will, or something equally melodramatic as an overture to a violent death on a battlefield, facing down Superman as part of a previously concocted plan.

But what was Raven to do? She couldn't join him, as part of her yelled at her to do. Truth be told, she was scared of death, not as an inevitability, but as imminent; the nearness, not the fact was what scared her. She had gotten a second lease on life, and she was not going to squander it in a war. In addition, she had to consider her other friends, Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg. She couldn't up and leave them for Beast Boy; her feelings were not so strong or so well defined in her mind that such an option would be feasible.

Raven was snapped out of her reverie as she heard the door to the roof open.

"Hey, Rae," scowling Raven turned around. Only one person in the Tower had the nerve to call her that name and to interrupt her brooding time—Beast Boy.

"What do you want?" she asked. She really was not ready to face him. She had to collect her thoughts and either accept that he was leaving, probably forever, or persuade him otherwise.

"I just wanted to talk, you seemed upset after I said I was joining the nationalists," Beast Boy said, a note of trepidation in his voice, "I just wanted to explain to you, and hope that you aren't too mad at me, especially after our talk a few weeks ago."

"I thought that you decided to stay with us, here, safely, in the Tower," Raven replied.

"I know, but things changed Rae, and I was hoping that you would understand that."

"What I understand, Beast Boy," Raven replied sharply, "is that you want to go off to war. Well, I have news for you, war isn't a game. When you get knocked down out there, I won't be there to pick you up. There is a good chance that you will die Beast Boy. I hope you understand that, and I hope you understand what that means."

Raven expected Beast Boy to throw a tantrum, or get upset, or shoot back at her, but she didn't care. The frustration, the anger, the confusion that had been piling up in her ever since that little meeting in the common room came out of her. She found herself standing right in front of Beast Boy, finger pointed accusingly at his chest, poking him with each word, trying to draw some response out of him so she could show him how stupid it was for him to go to war. But Beast Boy didn't, he sighed, went over to the edge of the roof, and sat down.

"I know all of that, Rae. And I want you to know that it wasn't an easy decision for me. I don't want to leave, but I feel like I have to." He looked back at her, and Raven was taken aback by his eyes. Those green eyes, normally so full of innocence and joy, were hardened and determined. Right then, she knew, without being sure why, that Beast Boy would not be talked out of going to war. Underneath the nervousness he had shown in the common room was something almost something defiant. Beast Boy was not going to war as a childish fling or a whim, he knew the costs and decided to take the gamble. Did he view this as something he needed to do alone, some type of rite of passage? Raven had no idea, only that she had gotten a glimpse into a Beast Boy that only came out once or twice. From the stories that had gotten around after the Brotherhood of Evil incident, it seemed to Raven that Beast Boy was acting as he did when he was alone, with only a handful of Titans left to fight the Brain and his minions. He was to be undeterred, for he had come to a decision after much thought.

"That doesn't mean that I have to like it," she replied, much more quietly than she had talked before. At her words, Beast Boy's eyes softened, and he turned to face her.

"Raven, can you do a favor for me?"

Raven turned to face him. "What?" she asked, her face softening as well.

"While I'm gone, can you write to me, it doesn't have to be often, just every week or so. I...I want to stay connected with you, and the others, and still know what's going on. I'd write back, of course, and you don't have to write a lot, just how your doing, what's going on, stuff like that, but it would mean a lot to me."

"Why me?" asked Raven, she was truly puzzled. She wasn't the most emotional, and she sure wasn't the best conversationalist ever. One of the others, Cyborg for instance, had to be a better communicator than just her. However, that wasn't to say she wasn't flattered, and secretly pleased. To be wanted is always an enjoyable feeling, doubly so when one has been shunned for most of one's life.

"Well," Beast Boy paused and rubbed the back of his head, "Cyborg and Robin would probably forget, they both tend to get distracted and stuff, and Starfire would write a lot of really long stuff and be all gushy. You would remember, and you would write about what mattered. I also think that maybe you'll talk more if you write, I don't know. I heard, on TV or something, that people who are quiet tend to write more. I just...It would mean a lot to me if you wrote to me, please Rae?"

Raven looked at him, he was almost begging her, and who was she to refuse him this one request? He was going off to war for Pete's sake, and this was a way for her to stay connected to him, to fend off the feeling of permanent loss.

"Alright, I promise, but on one condition," she replied. Beast Boy looked at her, the happy sparkle back in his eyes, "that you write back and tell me how you're doing, just so that I know that you are fine and are coming back to us."

Beast Boy gave her a poor salute, something that will be fixed, she thought to herself, and replied, "Of course, I'll write back to you. And, if the mail service isn't too bad, you'll get so many letters you won't know what to do!"

Raven gave a small smile, at least Beast Boy hadn't become completely sober on her.

* * *

The next three days passed in a blur for all of the Titans; here, one of their friends, an integral part of their tight knit group was going to march off to what might very likely be his death. Cyborg helped Beast Boy to box up his stuff in between Gamestation sessions, Robin gave Beast Boy a crash course on survival training, and Starfire probably hugged her green friend more times in those three days than she had the previous month. Even Raven found herself talking to Beast Boy more. As for Beast Boy, he tried to act the same, and most of the time, he pulled it off. But, every once in awhile, the team would catch him brooding. It was in this mood that Raven found him the night before he was to leave, sitting alone in his room on top of a packed box.

"You should go to bed," she replied. The unspoken acknowledgment that he would need rest for his introduction to boot camp lingering in the air between them.

"I know," Beast Boy said flatly. It was then that Raven decided on something, just for him, and just because she might never be alone with her friend for a long while, if possibly ever.

"Tell me a joke," Beast Boy looked up in shock. He couldn't have heard that, not from her, but her countenance showed that she wasn't joking or being sarcastic or anything.

"Really?" he asked, still bewildered.

"Yes," she replied.

This was his chance, he thought. He couldn't blow it, not now, not when this might bet the last joke Raven heard from him in a long time, or ever, her morbidly added.

"Ummmm," what a time to run out of jokes!

"Oh, got it! How do you make a lemon drop? You let it go!" he smiled hopefully at her, it wasn't as bad as some of his others. Sure, it wasn't great, but it just might do the trick.

Raven stood there for a second, then smiled, and then giggled. It was short and brief, but it was there. Beast Boy couldn't help himself, he started to laugh. At least he could say he accomplished one thing at his time in the Titans, he had gotten Raven to smile and laugh. Stopping, he turned to Raven, "Thanks Raven, that means a lot."

Raven smiled back. It wasn't the greatest joke ever, but it wasn't bad. She owed it to him, at least, for all the times that she had wanted to laugh but didn't, just to aggravate him. Suddenly, Beast Boy got up and walked up to her.

"You remember the promise?" She nodded.

There was a pause as Beast Boy looked at the floor, "Good," he said as he pulled her into a tight hug. Raven was shocked, physical contact was not something she was comfortable with, and just as she was about to pull away, she heard a deep breath from Beast Boy, almost a gasp. Was he crying? Hesitantly, she reached up and put her arms around him. Sure, she had hugged before, not often, but enough to know what it felt like. This was different, she felt connected to him as she held him, as she supported him. A little while later, Beast Boy took one more gasp, but did not let go of her.

Eventually, Beast Boy calmed down and took a deep breath. As he pulled away from Raven, she caught site of his tear-stained face. Giving a quiet, nervous chuckle, he apologized for hugging Raven. Raven, however, couldn't be upset at him. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she smiled one more time. Upon seeing that, Beast Boy smiled back. It was a small smile, but it showed he was doing a little better. With that, the two went to bed, trying not to think about the next day.

* * *

It was odd for all of the Titans to be awake at the same time, early in the morning, and so sober. But today was not a usual day. Beast Boy was to board a helicopter at 9:00 at the top of the Tower and report to training camp. Considering the short times span in which the army wanted to sent him, and his fellow soldiers off to the front, they had already sent him a uniform, which he wore during breakfast. The odd camouflage pattern as well as the relatively loose fitting clothes looked odd on Beast Boy, underlining the upcoming change.

At ten minutes to nine, all five Titans assembled on the roof, watching as the helicopter made its way over the bay. Robin stepped up first, grabbing Beast Boy's hand, and then pulling him into a hug.

"Get back here safely, I want you on this team," he said into Beast Boy's ear.

Starfire followed her boyfriend, her green eyes glistening with tears. "Be safe, dear friend, may X'hal protect you in battle," she said, pulling him into a gentle hug.

Cyborg was next. He sniffed once, then rushed over, put Beast Boy in an affectionate headlock, and rubbed his head, "You come back, you hear me you grass stain? If you don't...I'll kill you, or something." Beast Boy knew he meant well.

Finally, Raven stepped up. Her eyes were glistening as well, and the she gave Beast Boy a hug. It wasn't as close as the one they shared the previous night, but it was comforting none the less. "I won't forget, every week," she whispered into his ear.

By the time the goodbyes were done, the helicopter had landed. The door opened and a man in a helmet and sunglasses stood on the landing rail, gesturing for Beast Boy to get in. Picking up his lone bag, took a deep breath to calm himself, turned to his friends, "I'll see you guys later, trust me," waved, and walked into the helicopter. It was the best goodbye he could come up with, anything more felt too permanent.

The ride was about an hour, to a training camp set up in northern California. After the man in the helmet welcomed him on board, the ride was silent, and Beast Boy fell asleep. Eventually, he woke up to the sound of the helicopter engine dying and light shining on his face as the door opened.

"Garfield Logan?"

"Umm, yes," he replied groggily.

"From now on, it will be yes sir, got it?" Beast Boy nodded. He couldn't really tell who this person was, but his voice held authority. "Hand your bag to the private, and he'll take it to your quarters." Beast Boy did so. "Follow me, you are to meet your commanding officer and training will start at 1400 hours."

Beast Boy nodded again, for once glad that Robin forced the team to use military time, claiming that it was more accurate. He followed the man into a tent. The man suddenly snapped to attention, saluting a figure with his back to the two, studying a map.

"Sir, I have Garfield Logan, sir," the man snapped out.

"Very good, Sergeant Foley, dismissed," the smooth, quiet voice shocked Beast Boy. It sounded disturbing line familiar. As Foley left, the figure turned around. There was a patch over the right eye, but it didn't conceal a long scar running from the top of the forehead down to the chin. The second eye was such a dark shade of brown that it was almost black. The carriage, the voice, still disturbed Beast Boy, his animal instinct was alerting him, stretching his body into a taut wire, ready to act at a moment's notice.

"Mr. Garfield Logan, I am Captain Slade Wilson, pleased to finally meet you face to face."

* * *

A/N Well, I believe that this is a good point to end the chapter. After fighting through much fluff, I now finally got Beast Boy into the army. It is epic indeed (as Linzerj said). As for how he performs, AkumiKami64, well, he won't be a pushover, but remember, Superman is on the other side. I hope what is to follow lives up to your expectations, since I believe that they are very similar to mine (mass violence on an epic scale). However, I will be forced to alter Beast Boy's combat technique (just a little preview).

Thanks again for all of the reviews. I hope the scene with Raven was up to par, MathiasMatt and Agent of the Divine One. It may not have been a complete verbal smackdown (or bodily destruction with a rusty spoon, though the visual was actually quite hilarious), but I thought it kept more in line with the gravity of the situation. I look forward to your comments.

As for the foreign Titans, Redtha, I'm not totally up on all of them, but there will definitely be some appearances, but probably more along the lines of cameos. Red Star was already high on my lists for a possible mention, I just have to find a way to work him in. And no, there will be no Marvel characters DarkRapture, I'm sticking strictly to the DC Universe, and even then, there will probably be only a handful that get more than a mention. That's just the way I see the story coming together as of now.

Haligh-A-Lie, welcome to the story, thanks for the review, and expect to see more of the Doom Patrol, especially Mento.

To Dante665 and Soven, thanks for the criticism and advice. It is much appreciate, I hope you keep reading and reviewing.

Once again, thanks for all of the reviews, they are much appreciated and are read.

Until next time,  
Mors101


	5. Breaking Down

Breaking Down

_Dear Raven,_

Beast Boy was sitting down in front of his small trunk, his tongue stuck out, pen in hand. He had only been away a week and a half, and really didn't know what to write. His first letter from Raven, received two days ago, was exactly what he'd thought it would be; short and to the point. But, to be fair, what could happen in a week? Still, it hadn't felt like a week to him.

But he digressed, he had to focus if he was going to get this done. Discipline his mind, just like his CO, Captain Wilson, or Slade as he still called him in his head, said. Perhaps that was were he should start, but he couldn't say too much. Everyone would flip their shit if they knew that Slade, of all people, was Beast Boy's superior. He still had a hard time believing it, thinking back to the day that he arrived.

* * *

"You!" Beast Boy knew the look on his face was absolutely shell shocked.

"As articulate as always," replied Slade calmly and condescendingly, "a world run by the Justice League would not be very nice to me, and I have some prior experience at black ops, so I joined the nationals, for a nice amnesty, of course." The calm exterior was belied by a slight smile. Slade was very happy with the deal he had: power, freedom, and a Titan at his mercy.

Beast Boy, however, was still in shock. This was not what he signed up for. However, before he could utter a word, he heard a sound at the entrance to the tent.

"Garfield, you're hear," said a familiar voice.

"Mento," Beast Boy turned around, "where are the others?"

"Well, they've been distributed across the branches as necessary, Robotman is headed for armor, Negative Man for intelligence, Rita, well, I think the information department is going to claim her, and I've been assigned to the infantry. Captain Wilson here was good enough to let me see you before it all begins." Slade nodded as Mento gestured at him. As he was walking out of the tent, he turned to Beast Boy and said, "I believe the sergent told you when training starts. Don't be late." With that, he walked out.

"So, we won't be back together, no more old Doom Patrol?" Beast Boy asked, disappointed. He had hoped to redeem himself in their eyes.

"No, I'm sorry Garfield," Mento looked down, "I just want to say, I know that I've been a bit harsh on you, but I did it for your own good." Beast Boy snorted. He couldn't help himself. After all, he was just a kid, not a soldier for the Doom Patrol.

"Don't do that," Mento snapped, "what we were doing, it was dangerous. Perhaps I shouldn't have allowed you on the team, I don't know, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I was probably too harsh. You were a benefit to the team."

Beast Boy just looked at him. They were going over some ground again, this conversation had happened on the phone just three days prior, when he decided to join the fight, but it was good to hear it in person.

"I just want to warn you," Mento continued, "this is going to be different from anything else you've faced; from me or anyone else. The army, they are going to try to break you down and then build you up. It will be hard, they've been doing it to Cliff and Larry, they're completely different now. Just, try to keep a sense of humor and perspective. What we're doing now isn't some routine good versus evil deal, it is a war, and we could die." Mento sighed and looked at Beast Boy.

Beast Boy looked back at him. Walking over, he put out his hand. Mento took it and gave him a firm handshake. "Thanks, Steve," Beast Boy began, "I will keep it in mind. You stay safe, and we'll see each other. I'll come by and visit everyone again." He then smiled, and Mento smiled back.

"You'd best get ready, son, stay safe, and don't let anyone give you crap for being a metahuman. You're on the right side," with that, Mento gave Beast Boy a quick hug, turned, and walked out the tent, where a jeep was waiting for him.

The next few days proved Mento right. The training was nothing short of grueling. For the most part, Slade never participated, looking as Beast Boy's battalion of men did drills, run, and eat. Beast Boy, in his estimation, acquitted himself just as well as some of the soldiers around him who, he soon found out, were career military. After all, they don't just let anyone join a black ops squad.

What really sucked were the combat sessions. Beast Boy was used to fighting like a Titan; transforming at will to whatever was necessary for the situation. When he was ordered to the range and given an M4 assault rifle, his eyes got wide and he blurted out, "What's this?" The comment earned a round of laughter from the men around him.

"A rifle, dummy, you shoot it," replied Foley in a sharp tone. Foley was like Slade in that he didn't speak unless necessary. But, unlike Slade, Foley was never quiet when he talk to his men. He was quite loud.

"But, I don't need a gun," protested Beast Boy, "I have powers."

"Shut your damn mouth soldier!" Foley bellowed in his face, "I don't give a damn what you have, you learn to shoot after you give me 30 push-ups!"

So, Beast Boy learned to shoot a gun. He didn't like it, the noise hurt his already sensitive ears and the powder burned his nose, but he got use to it. After talking to a corpsman, he was allowed to wear a bandanna around his ears on top of his ear protection, and it helped a bit. As the week and a half wore on, he was assigned extra time at the range due to his novice status as a marksman, spending hours a day just shooting under the watchful eye of either Foley or Slade. Eventually, he became passable by his battalion's standards, which, in actuality, meant he was very proficient with a gun.

However, weapons training was not the worst of it. Beast Boy had to go through hand-to-hand combat training. Sure, he was trained in the basics by Mento and Robin, but never in intensive personal combat. And the worst of it was that he had to fight Slade, a master of martial arts on par with Robin. The first time he was ordered to fight Slade, he instantly turned into a tiger, only to have Slade pull a handgun on him, prompting every other armed individual in the vicinity to also aim at him.

"There are very few targets more obviously than a giant, green animal, Garfield, you will fight like a human because that is what form you will take most of the time," Slade has said calmly and deadly.

Beast Boy only glared in response, launching himself into battle, only to get beat down by Slade's superior skill. His fellow troops only stared, pausing in their own sparring matches whenever Slade delivered a particular nasty blow. Beast Boy never felt particularly welcomed around them. They were never openly hostile to him, but they definitely weren't friendly, and he guess he understood. He was a metahuman, after all, and they were fighting a ton of metas. From what he understood, these men were career soldiers, and they were basically being retrained to fight in this unit. As such, they're training, insofar as they had any basic training, was unique, with each man being treated as a recruit in the hierarchy. This made him doubly estranged; he was a meta and had no combat experience with which to share. Considering the circumstances, he was just glad that they acted professionally and didn't kick him while he was down.

Come to think of it, they weren't all that friendly even with each other. The whole group of men were quite silent, rarely talking even to each other. In fact, the whole atmosphere seemed to be one of expectation, as if everyone was sizing each other up before committing to anyone allegiance. The only reason that Beast Boy could feel a difference towards him was a type of animal instinct; he could sense the coldness of his squad mates.

* * *

As Beast Boy sat in the barracks, by himself, reflecting back on his week before he wrote to Raven, he thought back on the past week and a half. It hadn't been fun. He actually regretted his decision. It's not like he expected the army to be fun, but he didn't expect this feeling of isolation. However, it did give him something to write about. He'd just keep some facts out, like that Slade was his commanding officer. The last thing he needed was for Robin to come storming into camp to fight Slade.

Just as he finished his letter, sealing it in an envelope, sergent Foley walked in, "Logan!"

"Sir!" Beast Boy jumped up and saluted. He only had be yelled at multiple times for this to become second nature.

"Combat training in 5, get your ass out there!" the man yelled.

"Sir, yes sir!" Beast Boy replied as the sergent turned around and walked out. After Foley was gone, Beast Boy sighed, now he had to go fight Slade for goodness knows how long. It really made him tired, physically and mentally. It didn't help that he knew the others liked watching him get his butt kicked. He figured that it would only get better if he beat Slade, and there was no chance of that happening as a human.

As Beast Boy walked to the training area and filed into line with his company and squad, he thought about the problem. Eventually, Slade walked up, "Men, today we are going to continue our combat training."

"Sir, yes sir!"

"I'll be honest, I could probably beat you all on my own right now. You fight like giant trees, you stand there and let yourself get pummeled. In short, you fight like a common soldier. You do as your told, and nothing else. But this is not what I want you to do. I want you to fight like water; you flow, you dance. You use your strengths on your opponent's weaknesses. I expect something better from you people." Slade never raised his voice, but the intensity in it pierced every person's mind there. This was something new.

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Do you know what this unit is to be called?"

"Sir, no sir!" Beast Boy heard his voice among the men surrounding him. Perhaps it was just him, but he actually felt part of something much greater than him as they responded to Slade.

"This unit's name has been withheld from you until I deemed you worthy. You have all proven yourself, first to the military, and then to me. I have cleared you all to fight in this unit, and I expect great things from this unit. From now on, I will teach you how a little differently. This is a black ops unit. What I will now tell you, you will repeat to me. What I will now tell you is what I expect from all of you, got it?" There was a brief pause, Slade's eye had narrowed and his voice had rose slightly. Beast Boy could feel the expectation in the air.

"Sir, yes sir!"

"You are hunters, and you are killers."

"We are hunters, and we are killers," Beast Boy could feel something stir inside him, yes, he was a hunter.

"No one is safe; nothing is sacred."

"No one is safe; nothing is sacred."

"We are the shock troopers."

"We are the shock troopers."

"We will kill our own to achieve success."

Once again, there was the briefest of pauses, Beast Boy felt like this was a line he had never faced. To be willing to kill one of their own to achieve a goal; well, technically, the members of the Justice League had been one of his own. Soon, he found himself joining the people around him, "We will kill our own to achieve success."

"We are Blackwatch."

"We are Blackwatch."

"Now, Blackwatch," Slade spoke quietly, "I expect you to become ruthless. I expect you to do whatever it takes to succeed. If that means you sacrifice the man on your left, you do so. If it means you destroy yourself to take out the enemy, you do so. Now, let me see this viciousness today in our combat training. Pair off as usual."

With that, the group of soldiers broke off into twos and threes. Beast Boy found himself face to face with Slade, again. However, this time, Beast Boy felt something change in him. "Whatever it takes to win?" Well, perhaps Slade would regret those words.

"Ready," Slade whispered. In response, Beast Boy's eyes hardened and his ears flattened against his head. He was ready, he thought to himself. He became aware of his body, of every muscle, of every breath. He could feel himself stretched taut, the adrenaline working through his veins.

"Go," with that Slade charged at the changeling. Beast Boy stood his ground, this was how Slade began every battle. Jump kick, he thought to himself, as he dropped down, allowing Slade's foot to harmlessly fly over his head.. Quickly pivoting, he tried to slam the heel of his hand against the back of Slade's leg, only to graze it. Slade had used the momentum of the kick to twist his body and move slightly, bringing his foot hard down on Beast Boy's back.

"Better, but not good enough," Slade said as he pressed Beast Boy's back into the ground.

Without even thinking, Beast Boy morphed into a snake, slithered out from under Slade's foot, and then morphed back into a human. Then, before Slade could fully register that Beast Boy had indeed changed in front of him, he slammed a fist into Slade's jaw.

By now, the rest of the company was watching intently. They had never seen the captain get hit before, and this was definitely an important moment. Beast Boy was vaguely aware of their stares. Something deep inside him seemed to sense that they were no threat and he could focus solely on Slade.

The two men squared off again, Slade's focus firmly on Beast Boy. Once again, Slade began to run at Beast Boy. This time, however, Beast Boy also ran at Slade. Right before impact, Slade tried to veer right, attempting to twist his body into a kick right at Beast Boy's face. Beast Boy, however, managed to duck this one. However, instead of waiting for Slade's follow up attack, Beast Boy brought himself into a lunge right at Slade. Slade, seeing what Beast Boy was doing, launched his fist into an uppercut right at Beast Boy's abdomen. However, right before impact, Beast Boy morphed into a tiger. The feline predator's larger mass and musculature soften Slade's blow and allowed Beast Boy to land his lunge, forcing the former villain down and pinning him under the tiger's mass. Quick as a thought, Beast Boy launched downward upon Slade's throat, mouth open. Slade, in response, froze as he felt the jungle cat's hot breath on his exposed jugular.

The soft clicking of weaponry brought the two combatants out of their reverie. sergent Foley was standing above the tow, handgun pointed right at Beast Boy's head.

"Remember, Beast Boy, there are fewer more obvious targets than a green animal," Slade said.

Beast Boy morphed into a human, but instead of looking contrite, he looked defiant. "You were dead Slade, I rip out your throat and morph back to human or something that can't be shot. Face it, you were defeated." This Beast Boy was unrecognizable to the other soldiers, and to Slade himself. He wasn't the quiet, somewhat unsure individual, this Beast Boy stood up straight, eyes hardened and straight ahead. This Beast Boy, everyone thought, could kill.

Slade stood a moment, very quiet. Everyone was waiting for the inevitable blowup. No one talked like that to a commanding officer. However, instead of a reprimand, Slade began to laugh. It wasn't a loud laugh, it was a quiet one, but it was the laugh all the same. Eventually, he stopped. "When we hunt," he began.

"We kill," finished Beast Boy, looking straight at his former nemsis.

"I appreciate that you have taken these lessons to heart, Private Logan. I expect great things from you in the future."

"Sir, yes sir," Beast Boy responded, the hardness of his eyes never leaving for the rest of the combat lessons.

* * *

As the men were sitting in the mess hall eating dinner, Beast Boy was joined by two men, Private Bill Taylor and Private James Ramirez. This was normal, the company usually ate together. However, it was rare that anyone talked, and even rarer that they would talk to him.

"That was pretty impressive, taking out the Captain," Ramirez spoke first. Beast Boy looked up quickly, and then looked around. He satisfied himself; it was to him that Ramirez spoke.

"Umm, thanks," he replied, nervously.

Taylor chuckled, speaking in a bit of a country drawl he said, "No need to be modest about it, you earned some respect from that little stunt you pulled today."

Beast Boy nodded, and the three went back to eating in quiet. However, from that day on, there was a subtle shift in how Beast Boy perceived the mood of the men around him. It still wasn't the friendly camaraderie of the Titans, but it wasn't the cold anymore.

* * *

When Beast Boy got back to the barracks that night, he reopened and reread his letter to Raven. The day had changed some things. He couldn't say some things, Slade had underlined that at the end of the day, and he couldn't understand the time gap between the announcement and the order of secrecy. But, he could say that things have changed, Beast Boy felt more integrated into his company. He felt more like a soldier.

* * *

A/N: Yes, Blackwatch is based off the troops in Prototype, as is the unit's motto. The game is great, and Blackwatch is epic, but I don't own them or anything else from whence I draw my inspiration. And there are others, if anyone can point them out, good for you. On a more general note, I know that this isn't basic and the army isn't like this. I apologize. However, this is what I think the story calls for. Now, on to reviews.

To The Flying Frog, DarkRapture, Linzerg, ComposerDragon, and titansfan1211, I hope that the epic aura of the story has remained intact and I hope that this chapter has answered some questions, especially about Beast Boy's fighting style.

To hot dog285, Slade is an O-3.

To flood125 and AkumaKami64, I will not have Beast Boy become any fictional creature except for perhaps his Beast form.

To Dante665, thanks a lot for the kind words, and I think I've figured out a way to integrate Red Star in as a character a little farther down the road. It is along similar lines to what you mentioned, but I don't want to give it away.

To MatthiasMatt, the interactions with Slade are not done.

To Agent of the Divine One, I hope to explain why Slade is with the nationalists a little later.

To all my readers, new and old, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I am now gainfully employed, and it eats up the hours. Also, this was not a particularly easy chapter to write, and I think it showed. I am not that good at hand to hand action scenes, and so it was hard for me to sit down and crank that out. Anyway, please review, comments, criticisms, and general input is always appreciated. I hope to update a little faster for the next one.

Until then,

Mors101


	6. First Encounter

First Encounter

_Dear Raven,_

_ It has been a crazy week and a half since I last wrote to you. I can't believe that I've been away fro three whole weeks!_

_ Anyway, I just wanted to say that everything is better now. After I sent you my last letter, I we were all split up into squads of four, and I'm getting along with my squad mates pretty well. I'm also second in command of our squad, right behind a guy named Cross. Our CO is still a bit of a douche, but you get used to it._

_ The worst part was learning how to do everything as a human that I did as an animal, swimming, running, stuff like that. What a pain. But, they changed my uniform so I can transform while keeping my clothes. Army fatigues aren't that vers..._

Here, there was a word misspelled, crossed out, misspelled again, and once more crossed out. Raven smiled, Beast Boy always tried to put big words in his letters. She wasn't sure why, he didn't need to impress her. But, it was something Beast Boy would do, and it made her smile.

_They don't transform with me. But, I have a uniform under my uniform. It can get kinda hot, but whatever. Spandex was never comfortable._

_ Anyway, rumor is we're shipping off soon, so writing will be harder. I'll do my best to keep up the flow. I hope that you're doing good, Rae. Remember, try to hang out with the others, and smile some. It would make my day to know that you're happy._

_Beast Boy (now Corporal Logan)_

Raven finished the letter and put it down with a sigh. So, he was now going to see combat. It was refreshing to hear from him, but not to know that he was going to fight. Opening her drawer, she pulled out a box and put it in with the other letter he sent. It seemed odd to her, keeping letters. She wasn't the sentimental type and was more apt to destroy them. However, she felt that as long as she kept these letters, she was keeping Beast Boy close and her family intact. Irrational, she mused as she lightly touched the notebook paper that Beast Boy, or Corporal Logan she added in her mind with a chuckle, had used, but it felt right.

Looking up, she saw that it was dinner time. The others would like to talk about Beast Boy as well, since he had sent everyone a letter this time. However, before Raven left the room, she gently touched the letter in the box.

"Be safe, Beast Boy," was the last thought in her mind before she closed the drawer.

* * *

"Well, Major Wilson, what's your opinion?" asked the man behind the desk.

Slade looked at the oak leaf cluster on his shoulders, symbols of his new rank and promotion to the head of Blackwatch, Alpha company, instead of Blackwatch training instructor.

"Of what, sir?" The man in question stood up, revealing a graying head of hair, a built figure, and deep-set brown eyes. Here was a man who was not to be messed with, and his demeanor showed it.

"Of your new company, can they go neck deep immediately? I give you permission to speak freely, Major. For now, let's forget the formalities. I need answers so that I can give results."

Slade looked at the man, the architect of the Blackwatch division. He was the one who offered him amnesty in return for helping for an elite unit of soldiers, willing to go on suicide missions to start to bring down the Leaguers in Africa. Colonel Randall, head of Blackwatch battalion, was not a man to mess with. Blackwatch was his brainchild, and he hoped for it to grow into a large, integrated part of the army. He wanted fanatics, men who were willing to do almost anything to win, and so he recruited Slade to train them.

"For the most part, yes. They are almost all career soldiers, and have killed before."

"And the exception?" Randall's eyes bore into Slade's own. When Randall had shown up, surrounded by an armed escort at his hideout, Slade was first impressed about the man's determination. This was not a person that would be intimidated.

"Corporal Logan,"

"The former Titan?"

"That's correct, sir." Randall looked away, staring out the window.

"Would he be an asset if he was broken in?"

"Yes, he would be quite the asset," Slade answered. Beast Boy had actually surpassed his expectations. The boy was adaptable, and had shown flashes of the ruthlessness that he, and Randall, expected and wanted from these men.

Randall walked over to his desk. "So, we have to get his feet wet, give his first encounter with war," he mumbled to himself as he shifted through some papers on his desk. "What about the men in his squad?" he questioned Slade again.

"They are all exactly what you wanted. I don't doubt their tenacity or willingness to pull the trigger."

"That's what I like to hear, Major," Randall responded. After another second, he pulled a folder out of a stack of similar ones and began reading it. Looking up, he met Slade's gaze. "These are potential missions. I'm going to be sending these down to you, and you pick the appropriate squads to deal with them." After another second, Randall walked over and handed Slade the folder. "Send the Corporal's squad on this one, it will be a good test of their abilities, and the company's overall readiness."

"Yes, sir," Slade responded, snapping to a salute, turned around, and marched out the tent to give Beast Boy's squad its first mission.

* * *

Beast Boy sat with his squad on the grounds of a Army deployment camp in Virginia. Ramirez and Taylor were playing a card game on an overturn box and Sergeant Cross was lying on a cot reading a worn book. Beast Boy sat in the corner looking at them, fingering the last letter Raven had sent him. It was the third one, and slightly longer than the last two. Beast Boy was really glad, each letter reminded him that he had a home to go to once this was all over.

He then looked back up at his squad mates. Things were better among them ever since his combat session with Slade, but there was still an undercurrent of trust, a natural reaction to his status as a new soldier and a metahuman. Sure, he trained well, but would he fight well? That was the question the others had in their mind, but Beast Boy didn't know this. All he knew is that there was still something a little cold about their attitude towards him.

"Gin," said Ramirez.

"Damn," muttered Taylor, a soft Southern accent easing the sharpness of his curse. He was getting beat by Ramirez, an admitted card fanatic. After all, Ramirez had reasoned, what else was there to do?

Taylor, however, disagreed, as Beast Boy remembered. Taylor was a whittler, but not a sculptor. Instead, he would just whittle a piece of wood down to nothing. He said that it calmed him, taking his mind off of the hardships of combat.

Ramirez, the his voice sharper than Taylor's Southern tinted tone, responded that the only way to forget was to immerse the mind in something else, like cards, something innocuous and far removed from the current situation. Beast Boy hadn't entered into the conversation. It had occurred in the background of the barracks one day while he was writing to Raven.

"Gentleman," the soft voice of Slade floated over to the group of soldiers, who instantly snapped to attention. "Briefing room in 5, Sergeant, your with me."

"Sir, yes sir," Cross snapped out before marching over to Slade's side as the two men walked away.

With a sigh, Taylor stood up from the impromptu card table. "Well, I guess vacation is over, right Ramirez."

Ramirez just looked up at Tayler and nodded as he put the worn cards into a box and put the box in his chest pocket. "Uh, guys, what do you mean?" asked Beast Boy, staring at them.

The two men looked at each other. Ramirez shrugged, got up, and began to walk into their quarters. "Taylor'll tell you."

Taylor turned to Beast Boy, "Well, Corporal, we're getting our mission. We're finally going to get some work done. Hoo'ah Ramirez?"

"Hoo'ah," came the grunted reply.

* * *

"Gentlemen," Slade's smooth voice carried through the darkened briefing room, a projector shining light onto his face, "as you've probably figured out by now, you've been given your first mission." He clicked a remote in his hand, and the projector became a map that zoomed into a location in northern Russia.

"As you know, the Russian nationalists fringe groups have been a thorn in our side. At least three EU divisions are constantly deployed in western Russia monitoring their activity. This is unacceptable. Four months ago, National forces launched Operation Flank Shield, an assault to put an end to the Russian threat as well as that of all peripheral nations outside of League controlled Africa. We have considered this operation a success. Resistance in the hostile regions of Iran, Pakistan, and Russia was mostly crushed."

"All right," whispered Taylor, right behind Beast Boy, "now we can focus on the big problem."

"Private," barked Cross from the corner of the room.

"Sorry, sir."

"Private Taylor has a point," Slade said, "the point of Operation Flank Shield was to allow our forces to concentrate on Africa. However, we have met a sticking point. An ultra-nationalist faction in Russia, The New Russia, was not completely wiped out. Intelligence has located the remainder of their force in a secluded location in central northern Russia. Any questions so far?" The rest of the squad nodded. They figured that he would get to the point soon enough.

"The reason that we've decided to deploy you is that this faction contains the former hero Red Star. The last assault, by a joint EU and Russian friendly force, failed because of him. So, command has decided to send in Blackwatch, and we've chosen your squad to go in and deal with the situation. Outside of Red Star, enemy resistance should be around a few squads. You will be supported by an SAS sniper squad and a company of Russian friendlies."

"Sir," Ramirez jumped in, "if an attack by a large force failed, what can we do?"

Slade nodded in Ramirez direction, preventing a reprimand by Cross. "Well Private, I hope that your training the last few weeks have turned you into a killing machine that surpasses any normal soldier. I actually should hope that any squad in this company could take on a company of normal soldiers. Anyway, you have a weapon the others didn't," As he said that, Slade nodded at Beast Boy, who started as soon as he felt every eyes on him.

Then, without missing a beat, Slade turned around and continued with the briefing. "You will be inserted three klicks from the target. You will then approach on foot, linking up with SAS sniper team one approximately half a klick from the objective. Satellite images show that the enemy is using regular foot patrols extending a quarter of a kilometer from their base. As for interior defense, we can't tell, though energy readings indicate that Red Star is most likely to be in the center of the structure. We can assume that is their main staging and regrouping area. Once there, get in and clear out the hostiles. Any questions?"

The group of men shook their heads. "Good, I expect a lot from you men. Pack up your gear and report to the helipad in twenty minutes. Good luck and good hunting."

* * *

In a day, Beast Boy found himself in a helicopter flying across the bleak northern Russian landscape. The only sound was the thrumming of the rotors. Across form him sat Taylor, stone-faced and intent, looking down at the silenced M14 assault rifle in his lap. Beast Boy unconsciously gripped his silenced M4 tighter.

A few minutes later, Sergeant Cross opened the door, tossed down a rope, and rappelled down, followed by Ramirez, Beast Boy and then Taylor. They were met by a Captain Nabokov of the Russian Federation forces, their Russian allies.

"Hurry," the man whispered in a thick Russian accent, "my men are moving in position to decoy the people in the base. Your British comrades have taken overwatch positions and are scouting the area. We must move."

It didn't take long for the group to move the three kilometers to the enemy base—a large, rusted building in the middle of a clearing in the forest. It looked like the landscape, bleak and empty. The few guards walking the perimeter only underscored the emptiness of the whole. Eventually, Beast Boy's squad rendezvoused with the SAS sniper squad and then moved to the rear of the base, keeping their distance from the guard's patrol route. Eventually, the sound of small arms fire was heard, indicating that the Russian forces had begun their cover maneuver.

Breaking cover, the four men sprinted to a door in the base, and Ramirez tried to pick the lock.

"Damnit, this is taking too long, screw quiet," muttered Cross, as he took a shotgun to the door hinges and kicked it open. Fortunately, the sound was covered by the firefight going on in front of the base.

"I'll take point, Taylor, cover our rear," with that, Cross led the group down a narrow hallway, each person trying to move as quietly as possible. Eventually, they reached a fork. "Ramirez, with me," Cross ordered, "Tayler, Logan down the right. Stay in periodic contact and wipeout anyone and everything you see." With that, the two men took off down the left tunnel.

"Higher ranks first, sir," Taylor said, stepping aside so Beast Boy could go first. Every sense was exploding in him, he could acutely feel the sweat dripping down the back of his suit, the feel of the weapon in his hand, and the weight of the gear on his back. With his animal sense, he could see through the dimly lit corridors of the base.

Suddenly Beast Boy paused, holding up his hand, "What is it, Corporal?" Taylor asked.

"I can't hear anymore gunfire," Beast Boy whispered back, "the fight out front is over. Radio it in to Cross."

Taylor grunted in assent, "Sarge, can you hear me?"

"Roger that, go ahead Taylor."

"The Corporal is saying that the fight out front is over," Taylor responded.

"Roger that, prepare for company," At just that minute, Beast Boy's radio squawked.

"Blackwatch, this is sniper 1, you have hostiles coming back to the building."

"Roger that, sniper 1," Cross's voice came across the radio, "let's get to a main room or something and get out of these hallways, these are death traps."

"Hoo'ah, sir," responded Taylor as he put the radio away. He and Beast Boy continued down the hallway, coming to another fork.

"This way," Beast Boy said, "I can smell the fresh air." A few seconds later, and the two entered a large, warehouse type of structure. A few seconds later, and they saw Cross and Ramirez enter from the other side of the room.

"Blackwatch, hostiles are almost at the base, they're carrying wounded and are having a rough time transporting them. I would give you a minute and a half before the are inside."

"Roger that, Sniper Team 1," Cross responded, "Team, take up positions around the room. Ramirez, Taylor, put claymores on the doors behind us. Let's hope we can take out a good number as they enter this room and clean up the rest later."

The team did as they were told, Beast Boy taking up a position giving him a view of two entrances to the large room, Cross covering his flank. Eventually, Ramirez and Taylor joined them, Beast Boy feeling more than seeing Taylor get behind the crate next to him. Beast Boy reached up and took off the rag covering his ears. Gunfire was going to hurt, but his hearing was now twice as good. Eventually, he heard the sound of Russian bouncing down the corridors leading to the room. He signaled to his squad mates, and they understood, each one's body as taut as a wire.

For Beast Boy, the waiting was horrible. He gripped the fore grip of his weapon so hard it hurt. As soon as he saw someone walking down the door, he would shoot him, dead. It was scary, but thrilling at the same time. In his head, he saw the gun range back during training, and the targets popping out of the ground. Just like that, he thought, up comes the enemy, down goes the round. He had been on edge this whole operation, and now he felt so high strung he would shoot a shadow. Everything narrowed down to those two doors. This wasn't some megalomaniac on the streets of Jump City waving a fancy stun laser around, these were soldiers, with guns, who were going to kill him if he didn't kill them first.

Closer and closer came the voices. There was some laughter, some rough sounds. Every step, every excruciating second. Beast Boy shrunk himself into the shadows of the crate he was using for cover.

"Let's get as many them in the room as possible before opening fire," said Cross. Beast Boy could only nod. A second later, he saw the shadow of the first person in the doorway, walking through with an AK-47 hanging from his shoulder, then another. Every alarm was going off in Beast Boy's mind. He had to act.

"Wait for it," whispered Taylor, "let the Sarge shoot first." They were smoking now, Beast Boy could smell it. They were real close, he could hear the footsteps and voices coming near. He had to act soon. He was drenched in sweat, his hands were now shaking.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps from the passages behind him. He was almost in a panic. "Let him hit the claymore," whispered Taylor so softly that only Beast Boy could hear it. Closer the footsteps came. Beast Boy was going to be discovered, he was going to be shot like a dog here, away from everyone, from Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven. He hadn't even said goodbye to them. He wished he had. He could have sent a letter or had one prepared in case he did die, something nice, not too corny. Saying how much everyone meant to him, everything that he wanted to say but didn't for some reason or another.

The explosion knocked him out of his reverie. It seemed to Beast Boy to be much to close, but at the same time, so far away. The yell of pain also shocked him.

"NOW!" shouted Cross from across the room. Beast Boy, coming out of shock, was a half second behind his squad mates. By the time he had gotten his gun over the crate, they had taken out a good quarter of the troops milling around in the area. He sighted a man running for cover, but because of his nervousness, his shot went wide. Then to his shock, a huge man in a white jacket and goggles stood up in front of him, pointing a gun right at his face. Instinctively, Beast Boy pulled the trigger, spraying the man with a half clip of ammo. Ducking back down, he reach up to wipe the blood off his face, in shock at what he had just done.

"First kill, good job, rook," shouted Ramirez from across the room. His first kill. The blood, the smell and feel of it, triggered something in him. He was a hunter, and hunters killed. He was a hunter in a room full of prey, he was going to kill his prey. Subconsciously, he gave in to a more primal side of him. The side that allowed him to be the hunter, the killer. He couldn't be civilized on the battlefied, and he couldn't be nervous. His eyes hardened and he decided to do what needed to be done.

The next time he aimed over the crate, he calmly aimed down his sight at a pair of Russian militia aiming in Cross's direction and took them both down. However, as soon as Beast Boy downed them, he felt a jet of heat soar past his face, hitting Cross in the chest and downing him.

"Man down! We have a man down!" shouted Ramirez as Beast Boy turned to look at the new attacker. There stood Red Star. His uniform was not as clean as it used to be, and he now wore a Russian soldier's helmet, but the red star on his chest was as prominent as ever.

Beast Boy's eyes went wide. Here was a fellow hero, and he had to kill him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Taylor make his way through the bullets of the remaining enemies towards Cross as Red Star turned towards Beast Boy.

Beast Boy quickly squeezed off a couple of rounds, only to have them hit a shield Red Star put up and ricochet wildly around the room. In response, Red Star shot another beam towards Beast Boy, who managed to duck just in time. However, the splash damage from the energy shot Beast Boy to the side, knocking him against a wall and dazing him, making him drop his M4.

A volley of fire turned Red Star's attention away from the fallen Beast Boy. Instead, he began to make his way towards the incapacitated Cross, Taylor, and Ramirez. As Taylor continued to take out the remaining militia, Ramirez concentrated his fire on the approaching ex-hero. However, the energy shield that Red Star managed to maintain kept him safe. Just as Red Star was charging up a bolt to wipe out the rest of the squad, a big grizzly paw knocked him aside.

"Taylor, get Cross out of here. Ramirez, finish off the enemy and then follow Taylor. I'll handle Red Star, don't come back until you're sure it's safe. That's an order," just as he said this, a red beam shot across Beast Boy's face, who quickly morphed into a hummingbird and shot off towards the ceiling. Ramirez turned and down two more hostiles as they were distracted by Beast Boy's and Red Star's fight. Taylor quickly slung Cross across his back and made his way to one of the rear exits.

Another couple of rounds later and Ramirez had finished off the last of the militia as Red Star kept trying to hit hummingbird Beast Boy. Once Beast Boy saw that Ramirez had gotten safely out of the zone, he flew over Red Star and dived down, turning into a tiger a bringing down a paw, slashing at the Russian hero. Only Red Star's reflexes saved him from a mauling, as he only received a superficial chest wound from Beast Boy's claws. In turn, he swung at Beast Boy viciously, catching him in the ribs. Beast Boy heard a crack as he was accelerated into a large crate.

Turning, Red Star started to walk to Beast Boy. "Foolish green one," he said, "you are brave for fighting, but dumb for leaving your home for good. I will crush you and bring Russia back to greatness." With that, he picked up the dazed Beast Boy by his throat and held him up. "You arrogant Westerners and superheroes, you think that you're better than us. Well, you're wrong. I'll show you you're wrong." Red Star tightened his grip as Beast Boy squirmed in his grip. "We were allies once, I called you comrade, but not after today. In respect for our previous comradeship, I will kill you quickly."

"Not...today," Beast Boy choked out before morphing into a grizzly bear, healing his broken ribs and causing Red Star to lose his grip. As soon as Beast Boy's feet hit the floor, he swung up with his claw, catching Red Star under the chin.

"Argh," choked out Red Star as he spat out blood, "I'll get you."

For Beast Boy, this was a completely different hand to hand fight. It wasn't about bringing in some crook, it was about life or death, him or Red Star, and that added a level of desperation to the fight that Beast Boy had never known. The two heroes exchanged blows and were panting. Both were strong, but neither could land a killing blow.

Beast Boy knew he had to end it soon. Both were getting very tired, but Beast Boy knew that a tired Red Star, with his strength and ability to shoot energy, would beat a tired changeling. Beast Boy needed a desperate gamble. He quickly ducked behind a crate as Red Star shot another energy beam at him. He then turned into a rat and scurried away before Red Star could destroy that crate, managing to get away without Red Star detecting his new form.

As Red Star was looking around, searching for Beast Boy, the changeling had gotten behind him and above him on a support girder. From there, he turned into an anaconda and waited. He could taste Red Star, his prey, on his tongue as the ex-hero walked around the room, whose lights had been dimmed by the fight. Eventually, he sensed him right under him, dropping down and wrapping his 16 foot body around the hero, trapping and squeezing him.

Red Star began to struggle wildly, but the fight had taken a good amount out of him, and every time he regrouped to fight anew against the coils anew, Beast Boy tightened around him. Red Star couldn't get his hands up to fire an energy blast at Beast Boy, who was wrapped around his torso, and was effectively captured. Even banging against the pillar behind him didn't dislodge the snake; Beast Boy had only one thing in mind, killing.

For Beast Boy, he could feel the pulse of his former comrade quicken beneath his dry skin. He had Red Star's arms trapped and was constantly tightening his hold. He brought his head up to look Red Star in the eyes, unblinking them as he saw the Russian's face turn red and then purple. Eventually, he felt Red Star's heart rate climb through the roof, and then stop. The Russian's face had turned a splotchy purple, Beast Boy noticed as he relaxed his coils and slithered off of him. As Beast Boy looked at the body, he thought about unhinging his jaws and eating his kill.

That thought snapped him out of it. Morphing back into a human, he turned around and vomited. He couldn't believe he thought about eating Red Star! As he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, he looked again at the body, another round of nausea running through him. But coupled with this nausea was a sense of triumph, he had done it, he had killed him. He felt different, a little hardened on the inside, but he also felt ready to take on the Justice League now.

Retrieving his gun, Beast Boy began to walk back towards Ramirez and Taylor, walking past the remains of the soldiers who had hit the claymores. Eventually, he heard the sound of footsteps walking towards him.

"Who's there?" he challenged, raising his rifle.

"Taylor, sir. So, I guess you got him?"

"Yep, how's Cross?" asked Beast Boy, lowering his gun.

"Dead, sir," responded Taylor.

Beast Boy was quiet for a second. "Ok, let's regroup outside with sniper team 1 and evac the area. We'll take Cross's body home."

"Roger that," and with that, the two men walked outside as Beast Boy radioed for pick up.

"Base, this is Blackwatch Recon squad, the mission is a success and we have a man down. Requesting pick up."

"Roger that, recon, we have a bird en route, ETA 10 minutes," came the voice of Slade, "good job Corporal, your team will be debriefed when you return to base."

"Roger that, Major." With that Beast Boy walked out of the tunnel with Taylor and made his way to where Ramirez, whom Taylor had told about the pickup, was placing flares around Cross's body, marking their position. He also saw the sniper team make their way down to Ramirez. Once he had ensured that everything was set, Beast Boy walked over and sat down in a few yards from the LZ, keeping watch.

* * *

A/N

I apologize about the wait, but this was much harder to write than I thought it would. However, I think I'm getting the hang of writing these types of scenes, and I also think that people should expect fight chapters to be longer, and therefore, a much longer time in updating.

Now, for those who reviewed the last chapter:

Agent of the Divine One: this is going to be an evolving process for Beast Boy, and as for if he gets home, we'll see. I'm of two minds on that question.

Titansfan1211: Beast Boy remembers Slade's voice and posture. He's able to connect the two.

DarkRapture: Thanks for the review, they are two of my favorite CoD characters as well. Expect some more.

WolfBloodBaptism: How's that for Beast Boy kicking ass?

Linzerj: It's true, this will not be a fun time for Beast Boy.

Dante665: Thanks for the encouragement. I hope this chapter meets your expectations and that Red Star's relatively quick entrance and exit aren't too disappointing.

Hot dog285: We'll compromise and make him a Major.

Thanks again for the reviews, they are very much appreciated. I hope that you continue to review, if you are following this story, or will begin reviewing if you just started to read it.

Until next time,

Mors101


	7. Hit and Run

Hit and Run

* * *

The small helicopter lightly skimmed over a bunch of trees, approaching a small clearing in the area. Beast Boy's eyes focused on that point in the distance as he sat on the heli's skid. Next to him sat Corporal Ramirez, on the other side sat Corporal Taylor and the rookie, Private Frederick MacArthur. Ever since the death of Cross a month ago, the squad had moved through two more men. Eventually, Beast Boy, Ramirez, and Taylor had earned the nickname "The Devil's Own." According to others, they always went through hell and made it out, and must be looked upon with favor by the devil himself. It made Beast Boy smile, after all, Raven was half-demon.

It was harder to write to her now that they had been transferred to Africa. Constant combat missions had left little down time and even less to write about. Missions with Blackwatch were top secret, after all. He hoped she wasn't too upset.

The ricochet of a bullet over Beast Boy's head spooked him. "Guns, guns, guns," came the pilot's voice over his headset as the helicopter's miniguns began spooling and than spraying the trees in front of the LZ. The other helicopters did likewise. Eventually, his squad and the two others were set down in the small field.

From the looks of the treeline, any resistance had been destroyed. However, they couldn't just sit here and wait for enemy reinforcements. "Alright," he said to the three squads, "let's start moving east, than we'll break off and head north, approaching the artillery position from the rear." The group nodded and broke off at a quick jog into the trees, spreading apart to form a line of fire.

* * *

Raven was a bit upset. She understood intellectually that Beast Boy wouldn't be able to write to her constantly. Being an active duty soldier in what she gathered must be a special operations unit (which she gathered by the brevity of his letters, there was no other way that boy could write that little unless he was forced) no doubt made it hard to do anything with much consistency. However, there was another part that was really upset, but not mad. This part kept wondering if he was doing well, if he was in some hospital bed somewhere (which, if he was, she needed to be there, she could heal him, as always) or, worse, dead. However, she tried to mask her turmoil, quietly reading a book in the common room. Eventually, she heard the doors swish open, announcing the arrival of her teammates from a pizza run.

"Yo, Raven," shouted Cyborg, "foods ready!"

"Yes, come and eat with us," responded Starfire.

Raven got up and walked to the table. Dinner was a quieter affair, as was most things in the Tower now that Beast Boy was gone. Raven didn't like the quiet, it reminded her of Azarath and her training and all the memories of non-emotional contact and cultural separation. It wasn't an unpleasant time for her, but, compared to what she had now, it would be horrible to return to that.

"Has anyone heard from Beast Boy lately?" Robin asked. Raven had a suspicion that the team leader felt a little guilty about not fighting. Out of anyone on the team, he could associate the most with the Nationalists, yet it was Beast Boy who went out to fight.

Raven heard a giant gulp on her left. "Naw, but you should ask Raven. BB writes to her like clockwork."

She turned her glare on the half robot to her side. "Aww, don't look like that Rae," the man said through a mouthful of chicken and ribs, "you know it's true. Green bean's got a thing for you!" With that, he guffawed loudly. Starfire also giggled next to a smirking Robin.

Raven sighed. Normally, such behavior would warrant some form of physical intervention, but she didn't feel like it, something inside her just wasn't into it. Nor would that stop Cyborg. The metal man and Starfire had taken it upon themselves to take on the roles that Beast Boy played; joker, tension breaker, and just all around lightening rod for the more highly strung. They weren't as good, and so had to divide the job up; Starfire would hover around Robin, distracting him, while Cyborg tried to get Raven to lighten up. Starfire was successful, Cyborg, not so much. He wasn't Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy is fine," she replied coldly, "he just writes to me because he knows that his letters will get read. Unlike someone who absolutely refuses to read anything not in electronic form."

"Hey," replied Cyborg, "I'm living proof that electronics are the way of the future."

"Whatever."

* * *

"Contact, 50 feet to the west," came the whispered voice over Beast Boy's com piece, "Wraiths, by the looks of it, possibly a sentry position to the artillery piece."

Beast Boy sighed, nothing was ever simple. Wraiths were the modified soldiers in the League's army. Former African soldiers, mercenaries, and villagers, they had been surgically modified. Clad in regular combat gear, they were distinguished from the common soldier by an odd facial piece covering their mouth, nose, and eyes. A hose from the mouth and nose was distinguishable, leading over the back. The cover was a whitish silver, and gave the soldiers an eery, otherworldly look. On top of that, there was something in their bodies that made them semi-transparent, harder to see, especially in the jungle.

"Roger that, Hunter 2-1, hold your fire until I say so." Beast Boy responded. He signaled to his team to move up, moving as quietly as they could to stay out of sight. Three wraiths stood upon the only path to the artillery piece, but because of the trees, they could not see who else was covering the position. Normally, Beast Boy would change into an animal and scout ahead, but the League had taken to mining the area around high value targets, forcing nationalist special forces to move through predetermined routes in order to stay safe. This situation was no different, Ramirez had almost stepped on a landmine, discoverable only by the freshness of the earth covering it. It looked like the squad was going in the hard way.

After moving the squad into position, Beast Boy gave the go ahead to the sniper team. As the middle sentry fell, the two stood, momentarily stunned. At this point, Beast Boy and the rest of the team opened up, killing the two other sentries before they could raise the alarm.

"Thank God for suppressors," thought Beast Boy. He and his team crept forward through the road. It went up over a little hill for about 200 yards. Once his team of twelve crested the hill, they saw the artillery piece. Codenamed Brimstone, the sleek, silver, ergonomic design hid a very dangerous and potent machine. Capable of firing large bursts of concentrated plasma over a mile away at a rate of twenty shots per minute, the machine was capable of absolutely decimating an advancing force.

The only good news was that the League only had a few of them. Intelligence knew they were trying to manufacture more, but they were coming up against human technological barriers. Thus, the League zealously guarded the few batteries they had. The anti-aircraft batteries around the machine made it impossible to take out with air squadrons, and the number of guards made almost any overt infantry attack costly. Only a quiet, stealthy squad would be able to take out the piece without too many casualties. The League forces had shown themselves very poor at adapting to special operation tactics.

"All right, boys," whispered Beast Boy, "let's go in."

* * *

After dinner had finished, Raven returned to her room in an attempt to get away from Cyborg's constant ribbing. She was irritated, but understood. The robot played off Beast Boy, and without the changeling present, he was just a one pony show. However, for all that had changed with the absence of their teammate, Raven had to admit that the team dynamic had not taken a nosedive. Sure, the Tower was a little more tense, but it was entirely manageable. It also helped that most super villains seemed to have entered into the conflict, at least, that was her explanation for why crime was so light. Just as Raven was sitting down to mediate, there was a knock on her door.

"Raven," called Starfire, "the mail is here." With that, Raven got up and hurried to the door. She didn't get many letters, so she figured this one was from Beast Boy.

"Damn postman is no where near reliable, mail at seven?" she muttered to Starfire when the door opened.

"Yes," agreed the alien, "but he is most old, it is not his fault that the other one left to fight in the war."

Raven sighed, it was always the war. She supposed she should be glad that, except for Beast Boy, it had only caused minor inconveniences.

"Here, friend, your letter," Starfire smiled brightly as she handed Raven an envelope with a familiar scrawl on it, "you will tell us how he is doing after you have read it?" she asked.

"Of course," Raven didn't know why, but she never let the team read Beast Boy's letters to her. To her, they seemed personal, she supposed it had something to do with the fact that someone cared enough to write to her, but she didn't really dwell on that. The fact is, she liked getting a letter from an individual who wasn't a fan or a stalker, which was a rarity for her.

Starfire turned to walk away, giving Raven a half smirk, "I hope you enjoy reading friend Beast Boy's letter."

Raven returned to her room, muttering about cheeky robots putting ideas in innocent people's heads.

* * *

Beast Boy held his M4 up to his face, staring down the iron sights. To his left, a little ways, Taylor was doing the same. Around them were scattered the bodies of wraiths and regulars, the League's troops, and a few Blackwatch soldiers. Private MacArthur was wiring an explosive to the artillery piece while Ramirez was searching the enemy officers' bodies for intelligence. The survivors of the attack force had created a perimeter around the artillery piece.

"Done, sir," came MacArthur's voice from underneath the gun.

"Roger that," said Beast Boy, "alright men, let's move out of the blast zone."

With that, Beast Boy and the rest of the team moved back down the path, weapons at the ready. As soon as they reached the clearing, Beast Boy set off the charges. An explosion, followed by a plume of smoke indicated the destruction of the Brimstone artillery piece.

Turning around, Beast Boy counted his squad and inwardly sighed. Seven men, that means they lost five. These missions were getting expensive. "Alright men," he said, "let's move out. The League will be on our asses soon if we don't make it to the LZ. We got five kilometers to cover, so move it!" With that, the group turned and melted back into the jungle; never relaxing for a second. They weren't the only hunters in the area.

* * *

Raven sat at her desk, the light from a lamp illuminating the envelope in her hands. She smiled at the scrawl on top, with her name and the Tower's address on it. Turning it over, she opened it. Inside, was a sheet of paper with Beast Boy's writing on the front and the back. Finding the beginning of the epistle, she began to read:

_Dear Raven,_

_What's up? I hope that you aren't reading this locked in your room or something, because I'm sure that it is a nice day and you should be on the roof._

Raven paused. It was a nice evening, she considered, so she teleported up tot he roof. Sitting on the edge, she continued reading the letter. The first part, she mused, was typical Beast Boy. Hoping everyone was all right, telling her to have fun. The next part, however, gave her pause.

_So, you've probably guessed that I'm in Africa somewhere. I can't tell you where, or I'd have to kill you. Just kidding (kinda)! I'm sorry that I haven't written to you much lately, things have been busy and this is the first real block of time I've had to sit down and do something besides fight. Which I do a lot of, but I can't tell you, or I'd have to kill you. Just kidding (but not as much as before, they're pretty serious about this)! But, I'm doing well. Even when I'm constantly fighting, I still have to be neat, which sucks, but what can you do?_

Raven smiled a bit. The part about the constant fighting did worry her. The more fights Beast Boy was in, the more likely he could get hurt or worse. But, his little rant about neatness did bring back to mind Beast Boy's lighter nature, and she was glad he had kept his sense of humor. Turning the page over, she continued to read on the back.

_Anyway, I don't know how long this is going to last, but it will probably be a while. When I come back, everything will be different; Star and Rob will be married, Cyborg will have twenty cars, and you will...I actually don't know about you Raven. I hope you change, and for the better. You know, smile a lot more, play some pranks, get a boyfriend or someone who will be really really nice to you. You deserve it! Anyway, just don't forget me with all the changes. I'll remain the same, a green, obnoxious, Beast Boy._

Raven sighed. That silly boy. Really, how could she forget him. After all, when he was here, he was her constant shadow. If anything came to pass about her that he wrote about, and she doubted it would, it would be because of him. He shouldn't be so insecure about his position among the Titans, he was their friend and comrade. They wouldn't forget him, and she definitely wouldn't.

* * *

Beast Boy ran out of the trees, panting. Turning around, he gave Ramirez and Taylor cover as they ran out to join him. As the team was approaching the LZ, they were ambushed by Stalkers, Wraiths modified for close quarters combat. They carried a pistol and had a sharp, sword-like attachment on their right hand. They were also wickedly fast.

"MacArthur, call in that chopper," hollered Ramirez from his right. Farther down the line, Beast Boy heard a short scream as a soldier was impaled from behind by a Stalker.

"Blackhawk one, this is Hunter actual, we are at the LZ and are under attack. Repeat, LZ is hot."

"Damnit," he heard Taylor mutter, as he turned his gun and pumped some rounds into the imposing enemy. Beast Boy grimaced. Very few of his animal forms would be effective against an opponent so obviously bred for close-quarters combat.

"This is Blackhawk 1, coming in hot," chirped his radio.

"Alright," Beast Boy shouted over the sound of bullets, "move to the LZ!" With that, the remaining five members of the team moved backwards.

"Attention all callsigns, this is Little Bird, firing on enemy positions." Beast Boy's ears picked up the high-pitched whine of miniguns as the small helicopter fired on the tree line. As the Blackhawk touched down behind him, he raised his M4 to his shoulder again, signaling his team to enter the transport. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he backed into the helicopter, sitting floor inside the open doorway, alert.

As the helicopter took off, Beast Boy took a seat inside the fuselage. "Congratulations, sir, on a completed mission. We have orders to take you to the Atlantic Depot for debriefing and some R&R."

Beast Boy could see the smiles of his tired squadmates. Some downtime sounded good right now. "Roger that, pilot."

* * *

So, surprisingly enough, I'm still alive. Very, very busy, so I apologize for the extreme lateness of this update. I would promise to be better, but I don't want to be a liar. I hope I haven't lost many readers.

Now, onto reviewers:

To WolfBloodBaptism: Thank you for reassuring me about my writing of Beast Boy. I don't intend to destroy his character and rebuild him.

hot dog285: Here is more.

Dante665: I appreciate the kind words. To put me in the same category as Whispers and Dark Titans is flattering, to suggest this would make good comic fodder is humbling. Please continue to read and enjoy and let me know if anything isn't up to par.

Where'd You Get Those Eyes: I did make Slade Beast Boy's CO, will there be more to come? Maybe...

DarkRapture: I guess since Arnold is Austrian he doesn't count, though it feels that he does come close.

Agent of the Divine One: It is a complicated question. The question of Beast Boy's ability to restrain himself later on will hinge, from where this story is going, on his ties to his team vs. his ties to the war.

13animaluver: Things are not going to get better for our verdant hero.

To all those who read, but do not review, please do. The feedback is helpful and it help keeps my mind on the story. As you can tell, the story eventually takes over any original plan, so if keep getting reviews, I keep thinking about the next chapter and will write it quicker.

As always, I do not own anything but the plot, any characters or references to characters that are not mine are exactly that.

Until next time,

Mors101


	8. A Little R&R

Shore Leave

The Atlantic Depot was a fortified harbor set up by the nationalist forces on the west coast of Africa. It was one of about seven such constructs around the continent, providing much needed supplies to the national forces. Giant turret guns, courtesy of LexCorps, covered all possible entrances to the base. There were three circles of walls. Going outward, the first circle, area three, surrounded the port and airstrip, the second, area two, surrounded the barracks and weapons depot, and the third, area one, surrounded what could be called a primitive city, made up of refugees and serving the soldiers inside the second circle with whatever they could possibly want. In the distance, the ships making up the African blockade could be seen.

The Blackhawk touched down at an helipad on the airstrip and Beast Boy and what remained of his team disembarked. Five men out of an original twelve, but not one of his squad hurt. Damn lucky, he thought.

"Lieutenant," came the voice of a soldier who had met them on the landing pad, "Colonel Wilson and General Randal want to see you, the rest of your team can head to the barracks."

"Roger that," replied Beast Boy, as he made his way towards the command post. Behind him, he could hear his men disembark the helicopter. They had been in Atlantic Depot once before, when they arrive in Africa two months ago. Since then, they had bounced around the continent, trying to disrupt the League's operational ability.

* * *

Taylor and Ramirez checked into the barracks, obtaining permission from the commander to leave the base and enter the city area of the base. They had asked MacArthur if he wanted to join them, but the private had turned them down, preferring to spend his down time catching up on sleep. They wandered through the narrow, gravel covered streets. Crowded, makeshift buildings lined the improvised roads. The late afternoon sun reflected off of tin roofs, baking the air above the streets but, their shade provided relief. Walking upright, shoulders thrown back, differentiated the walk of a veteran soldier from a refugee. They trudged around slouched and defeated. Taylor didn't blame them, they were run from their homes by the Wraiths and metahumans. He didn't even blame the soldiers who walked like the refugees after a battle. Those things were frightening.

"C'mon Taylor," grunted Ramirez, "let's get a drink."

"You're the boss" Taylor lightly mocked, giving a mock salute.

Ramirez shook his head but smiled. "Stow it, Corporal, or you'll be cleaning crap from a toilet seat with a toothbrush." With that, he turned into a bar—or the equivalent of a bar—on the side of the road, followed by Taylor. The bar was crowded. There were many refugees, trying to find Eden at the bottom of a dusty beer bottle. Ramirez also noted a group of soldiers, possibly Indian, sitting around a table. They'd been around awhile, Ramirez could tell, they were grim, but not defeated. This was in contrast to the shaking Israeli soldier at the bar. His hands shook as he took shot after shot. Ramirez wouldn't be surprised if he was the only surviving member of his platoon. He shook his head again, poor kid.

He and Taylor slid into an empty table in the corner opposite the group of Indian soldiers.

"He's eyeing your piece," muttered Taylor. Ramirez noticed that also, one of the Indian soldiers was looking at his sidearm. Soldiers were not allowed into the city armed unless they were on patrol or military police. Blackwatch, and some other special operation units were the exception. Ramirez liked to think that it was because he could be trusted more than regular troops, but he knew that it was because he, like many Blackwatch and special operation troops, needed to have a gun close at hand. It made them feel comfortable. Turning, he looked at the Indian soldier, an officer by the rank on his shirt. To his credit, the man did not look away. He stood up and walked over to Ramirez.

"Soldier," he began in broken English, "you are not allowed to be in area one armed."

"I'm Blackwatch, sir," replied Ramirez, "as is my friend."

The Indian officer paused, and then started to talk again. "I see," he began, "I am Captain Dakshesh of the 2nd Mountain Division. Your company saved me and my men a few days ago. Please allow me to buy you men a drink."

"Very well," Ramirez replied, "barkeep, a bourbon for me."

"Just a beer," added Taylor as the man behind the counter nodded. The clink of glasses was heard, and then he walked over and put the drinks on the table. Captain Dakshesh passed some money into the man's hand and walked back over to his table.

"It is amazing," said Taylor, as soon as the Captain was gone, "alcohol is the only thing you can get with any consistency in this place."

Ramirez nodded, "And whores," he added. Taylor looked up and quirked an eyebrow. The women of the night were of questionable cleanliness, but he wasn't about to question his compatriots nighttime excursions. He wasn't about to risk it, but female companionship was few and far between with their missions, so he understood.

"Anything to forget, eh?" Taylor said. Ramirez simply nodded. The two men looked out the dusty window into the darkening streets, drinking in a comfortable silence.

"It ain't San Diego," Ramirez muttered.

"And it ain't suburban Atlanta," added Taylor. Turning to his drinking companion, he asked, "How's the family?"

"Haven't heard anything in awhile, so I guess no news is good news. Sis can take care of the parents for awhile. It's about time she learned to do something besides sleep on the damn beach all day. What about you? Anything from home?"

Taylor shrugged. "Same here, though I wish Cecilia would write as much as the Lieutenant's girl."

Ramirez gave a short chuckle. "Yeah, poor kid is smitten, he's probably doing that right now. But, hell, if it encourages him to kill the damn leaguers to go home quicker, than I'm not going to complain."

Taylor gave a half-smile, "Always so bloodthirsty Ramirez. You know it isn't like he can go into area one. Hell, two is bad enough for the green man. What else is there to do but write home?"

Ramirez nodded again. "Fair enough," he responded. They trusted their commander, but others did not. "And don't say bloodthirsty like it's a bad thing. You're no different from me."

"Perhaps," Taylor said with a shrug. Ramirez raised an eyebrow in skepticism. Taylor sighed, he knew where this was going. He pulled out his combat knife from his boot and stuck it into the table. The side facing Ramirez had six tally marks in it.

"Not bad," replied Ramirez, "see, we're the same." With that he pulled out his knife and stuck it into the table, "Six and six."

"Nope," replied Taylor, "I got one more today, give me your knife." Ramirez jokingly glowered at Taylor, but pulled his knife out and handed it to his table mate. Taylor then took his blade and etched another mark into it. "There," he said once he was finished, "I'm more bloodthirsty than you now." With that, both men gave a quick laugh, raised their glasses to each other, and drank.

There was a clatter as the group of Indian soldiers got up and left the bar. The two men nodded to Captain Dakshesh as he passed by. The Israeli soldier was passed out on the bar, leaving Ramirez and Taylor and a handful of refugees as the only conscious individuals left. Ramirez and Taylor stayed in their corner, enjoying their drinks and the relative quiet of the nearly empty bar. Ramirez decided to smoke, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He offered one to Taylor, who shook his head. "I managed to buy some chewing tobacco off some guy fresh from Tennessee," he said by way of explanation.

"Two or three?" asked Ramirez.

"Three, poor kid didn't make it, he was the one caught at the LZ by the stalker," replied Taylor. Ramirez just nodded as he lighted his cigarette.

The two continued to sit, smoke, chew, and drink, breaking the silence every once in a while to make small talk. Eventually, they settled into silence, each one enjoying it as a break from their noisy, busy routine. Ramirez had just finished his third cigarette when they both heard an explosion followed by some screams. Sitting up, both men pulled out their firearms.

"Guess our little break is over, eh?" said Taylor with a grim face.

* * *

A short chapter with a bit of a cliffhanger at the end. Anyway, on to the reviews.

Peyton Adalyn: I'm glad to return to the story. I hope you continue to read.

Agent of the Divine One: There will be more focus on the Titans later. Now, about that big, ugly thing coming...

That is it. Remember, please read and review. I really appreciate it.

Until next time,

Mors101 (the person who doesn't own any of this)


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